The Guardian Chef

Hi guys! Emperor93 here!
I thank YXXREM for the beautiful illustration he designed for this chapter and above all I thank Element1990 for having contributed in its creation

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***(Graeval's POV)***

This is tiring.

Dealing with these idiots is tiring. After three strikes, they haven't even figured out that I'm not even playing with them. I can hardly call it a warm-up......... no... now that I think about it, I don't remember when was the last time I got serious. In all the fights I've had since I've been in this world it was like I just played. I've never actually fought seriously.

Even now with their new assault, while Ishgat, Emilyn, and Ridel attack me relentlessly, I don't even need to pay them much attention. I can stand up to them and at the same time think about new recipes that I could try the next day. Of course, it was more interesting than taking these here seriously. Why do people never want to listen? It would hurt less and save you a lot of headaches.

Yes... I am well aware that listening is not enough, but at least having more points of view and comparing them can lead to the truth. I'm not saying just follow one and take what he says at face value, but at least give it some importance.

Enough... they have tired me to the point that I'm not even angry anymore. Resentment yes, but anger now... it is true that physical activity is a cure-all to let off the steam............ Hm?

"I see that you are quite persistent with my wife... and I have lost my temper because of your obstinacy."

The Hero tried to hit Lilith directly. Hmpf. They must surely have thought that the source of my strength comes from some witchcraft of my wife.......... well, I admit that she does a certain influence: it gives me peace of mind. Calm and coolness are key things to maintain when fighting using psychic powers like mine. If you don't stay calm you risk harming yourself. Trust me, it's not pleasant.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! DIE!!"

The dragonkin in front of me has transformed into a beautiful and majestic red dragon. Uau. This girl sure knows how to get attention.......... by the way, did I throw the trash in the incinerator?

A huge fist made up of red scales hit me just as I did that thought. Focusing my powers to empower myself and create another metallic skin to increase my resistance to blows, I took the blow that created a rather deep crater with me in the center.

I got some pains in the joints, but for the rest I'm fine... or rather Sure it weighs this dragon.

"Is that the best you can do?" I communicated to everyone around me with telepathy

concentrating my powers again, my arms lit up in blue, and lightning of the same color began to travel along with the light that enveloped me. Holding one arm to support the weight of the fist, the right one shone even more and hit the red scales piercing them and causing the lightning to travel inside the leg until it severed from the body.

By the way, I thought earlier that the anger was gone right? Well... the intention to kill them is still there, you know?

***(Lilith's POV)***

I am really worried. No... not for my husband. But for the Hero and his companions. I know more than anyone how powerful Graeval is. Even ants stay away from him when he is angry. I'm glad he got mad for me, but it's scary when he starts taking out his anger to whoever unleashed it. Furthermore, we are in a place where it can safely release its full power. Which makes it even scarier.

Huh? Is our house near us? Ah, you haven't noticed. Shortly after the start of the battle, Graeval opened a portal under the feet of all of us to transport us to a deserted area and quite far from the population centers. Apart from me, no one has noticed. Probably he made them fall into a light illusion to deceive their senses. Either way, my husband isn't stupid enough to start a fight near our love nest.

Coming back to us, I love Graeval. And with all my heart. But at the same time, I fear him. After all, there has never been a time that I had seen him use his full potential. A living being able to face the group that has defeated me, considered the most powerful demon of all, with such nonchalance is terrifying at the least. After all, it is the fighting style he prefers: making the opponent believe that they had some chance of defeating him and then crushing them quickly and decisively, first killing them psychologically and then permanently.

Now you understand why I'm worried... no, I rectify... I'm sorry for them. Graeval is nothing short of ruthless, particularly when I am at the center of the enemy's sights.

For me, it is both a source of joy and worry...

BOOOAAM!!!

That explosion brought me back to the reality that was unfolding in front of me. Where Graeval was, there was now a red dragon's paw. Probably, the dragonkin has decided to give everything she got.

I should have worried... I should have thrown myself into that spot. True... my heart stopped for a moment. After all, what woman likes to see her loved one to get beaten to death? However, I didn't feel worried. After all, I know Graeval well. He swore to me that he would never abandon me and that he would always come back victorious from every fight. And when he takes an oath...

KATAKRAC!

...no matter what, he always keeps it.

The stump of the dragon's paw fell beside its owner and I smelled the burnt flesh. Graeval had come out of that crater and was levitating in midair. Covered in what looks like crystal armor, his arms glowed faintly blue and lightning sizzled along his forearm as if they were trembling. I couldn't see his expression, but I could imagine it: tired of all this.

"The five minutes I gave you have passed." he began by crossing his arms "I give you one last chance to leave peacefully."

The Hero's entire party was hesitant. It was natural... I would be too after all these facts. But apparently, the Saint is for some reason willing to continue.

"We can not! We have to save- "

BOAM!!

"I've had enough of this bullshit..."

The pupils wide open... the mouth open as he exhaled spitting blood... the body bent by the punch to the stomach that Graeval had thrown. In a split of seconds, he had hit the Saint.

Foolish woman...

That gesture... was the representation of Graeval's true and ruthless personality: no matter who his opponent is, he is ready to kill them at any moment.

Most likely she didn't even notice, and the blow was so powerful that she instantly fainted. As she collapsed to the ground, the air around everyone and everyone froze.

There was a new snap of fingers...

BOOM!!

"KAH!" "GAH!"

The armor of the Hero and Emilyn exploded. The bodies that those armors were meant to protect were red with blood, wore only shreds of clothing, and were full of horrible wounds, to the point that some internal organs or bones were exposed. Despite the small outburst of pain, their expressions and especially their eyes were expressing how much they were suffering. I was surprised at how they managed to remain conscious despite everything. But apparently, they only succeeded for a few seconds. Just enough time to understand they were done for.

But maybe... it was better for them to faint right away. No... maybe I should look away too. At that moment, I was feeling fear... but seeing what he did next, the fear turned into terror.

"KYAAAAAAA!"

Ridel fell to the ground with a face tinged with terror as my husband extended his arm towards her. He almost certainly showed her her worst nightmares and fears.

Ishgat hit him with the back of the paw that was still attached to him making him fly back a few meters and then spit fire at him.

Graeval took it and the flames passed through him almost as if his body was flimsy. He raised his hand and dropped it after a few seconds. From the black clouds that covered the sky, a bolt of lightning of the size of the dragon fell on the beast's head as if a divine punishment had fallen upon it. The glowing red scales that shone in the moonlight were now burned and the stump was completely cicatrized from the extreme heat and power of the blow. A few seconds later, the dragon mutated back to human form.

Everything the Hero's group failed to do in 5 minutes, my husband did in 30 seconds. As it was over, Graeval descended to the ground and contemplated what remained of the group that had foolishly angered him. Unconscious, with faces twisted by terror, pain, and surprise, badly wounded... but alive.

I was heading towards him when I felt a shiver run down my spine. When I looked back at my beloved, I thought I saw a shadow pitch black and macabre... like Death. Perhaps it was an illusion of my mind, but that materialization of pure murderous thirst was directed towards the Hero's group. Maybe I had never noticed it before... but now... I have the urge to look away. I fought with him other times when he went to get rid of the brigands and each time, he gave off a hint of his murderous thirst at the same instant he kills. I had never paid much attention to it since it was an instant but now..... I had never seen such a murderous thirst, to the point that I felt suffocated.

Graeval had raised his right hand and was slowly closing it into a fist. Trembling, the earth seemed to open and what looked like the jaws of a hungry beast were about to devour the unconscious adversaries.

For some reason, I felt that what he was doing was wrong. It was him but it was scary. I am terrified and every single cell of my body was screaming in danger... it wasn't him... by looking at it better it wasn't my beloved. Frightened and above all worried, I hurriedly approached him and hugged him

"Stop!"

"...... Lilith?"

when he says my name, I feel warmth, kindness, and affection. But now... his voice was so cold that for an instant I thought it would freeze me at any moment.

"I beg you... stop."

"?!!" Graeval stiffened and his eyes widened in surprise.

I was crying as I clung to him. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks and they didn't stop. But they weren't tears of sadness. I was crying because I didn't want to lose him... I was crying because I wanted him to stop... I was crying because I wanted him to come back to me... for the first time, I was afraid of losing someone I truly loved.

Graeval's frozen expression slowly changed and realizing that I was losing strength in my legs, he took me gently and knelt with me. I couldn't stop the tears

"Lilith..."

"Please... *hic* don't go into destruction... *sigh* stay with me... let's go... home... *hic*"

When I said those words, Graeval held me so tightly that he seemed to want to choke me. But in reality, he didn't want to let me go. I cried... with all my heart. I continued for some time, leaning against Graeval's chest as he held me when suddenly, I felt that fatigue was taking over

“Forgive me, Lilith. Forgive me for my selfishness."

Those were the last words I heard before I closed my eyes.

***(Graeval's POV)***

I'm an idiot. I scolded myself as I held Lilith who had fallen asleep in my arms. I made her cry... just because I didn't keep my cool, I ended up hurting her! Damnation!!

When Sarity was again stating that she wanted to "save" me from my wife... I lost my patience. I wanted to end it there. I wanted to kill them and make them disappear so that I could return to my peaceful life with my wife. But I hadn't realized the consequences my action would entail... consequences, which only Lilith's tears allowed me to understand.

Although for a short time our life would have continued quietly, the disappearance of the Hero and three of his four wives including the Saint would have led to a thorough investigation by the kingdom and the church. Lilith's secret would have been very difficult to keep, if not impossible as they wouldn't give up, no matter what. We would have been forced to flee and live a refugee life. After all, who would ever take in a demon and her husband suspected of the murder of the Hero's group? Not even the Deshatia Kingdom, Lilith's homeland, would have welcomed us... or rather, they would have welcomed her but not me and I would have been at the center of various attacks and pressures since they would never accept me as the husband of their (ex) Demon Queen. The reactions of the Akiya brothers were clear.

In conclusion, would it have been worth killing them? No, not at all.

Taking her in princess carry, I opened a portal to our house and laid her on the bed, giving her a caress on the face before returning to the other side. I felt the suit being pull. Lilith was subconsciously clutching the hem of my robe and another tear ran down her cheek.

“I'm not going anywhere. I will stay with you until the end of my days." I whispered to her as I gently freed myself from her hand.

Back on the other side, I looked at the idiots who were on the ground unconscious and one step away from death. I reached out and, borrowing the life energy of the planet, I began to heal those whom until recently I had intended to kill. I sighed heavily

"Better you show up if you don't want that I make you dismiss."

“Ah...... haha. You discovered me~"

Enveloped in white light, Aphy materialized behind me and hugged me with all her weight and soft watermelons on my back. With a smile on her face, she rubbed the cheek against mine. She just can't read the atmosphere or the place.

"Stop that."

"Pout. What a killjoy..."

"Hmpf." I turned around "Why didn't you intervene earlier to stop these assholes?"

"Because we cannot directly interfere with what happens in the world we manage." she began by separating and standing in front of me "I realized what was happening when you had already started fighting."

"...... And the real reason?"

“I wouldn't have minded comforting you during the mourn- Ouch! Ouch!! Ouch!!! I WAS WRONG! FORGIVE ME!! RELEASE ME OR YOU'LL CRUSH MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!!! OUCH!!!"

Even before she could finish her macabre statement, I had already taken her face with an iron claw. Surely, I won't miss her if she dies.

“VILLAIN!!! OUCH!! OUCH!!!"

"Don't ever try again or I'll seriously kill you." I said squeezing even more

Aside from the fact that she has just read my mind, one thing I know for sure about this idiot is that she’s not capable of lying. While the fact that she cannot interfere due to her role as the guardian deity of this world is true, Jack remains the Hero of hers and Sarity is her Saint. It is not possible that she did not realize their discoveries and plans. She simply used the opportunity to orchestrate my wife's death. After all, she claimed it herself. *Sigh* It's childish enough to be tiring.

While Aphy was rubbing her head when I let her go, I had finished treating the wounds of the Hero and his party. I couldn't let them go that easily... at least, before we do that, we'll have to have a good one-on-one chat. Taking ropes and a thick metal chain, I tied the five opponents and took them to my house, letting them rest in a separate area. As a precaution, I created several barriers, enhanced the resistance of the ropes and especially of the chain since the dragonkin, even in human form, although they seem fragile they are not weak at all.

Now it was just me and Aphy who was fixing the damage the ground had taken from the fight.

"I finished."

"Thank you."

When I thanked her, I stroked her head affectionately as a reward for her work. She giggled softly as I stroked her... I shouldn't say that, but sometimes she looks like a dog.

“Eheh~ It's nothing. You could too. After all, your powers are exceptional!"

"Don't think flattering me will spare you the punishment that awaits you."

"Punishment?!"

"Since you can't keep your followers at bay and even took the opportunity to attempt my wife's life... did you believe it would end without consequences?"

“I have many believers! How do you think he can handle them... all......” she said, looking away

"And let's not forget that you spied on us not only during the fight but also during my dinner with Lilith..."

“...... AH! I just remember that I have something to do. So I have to- "

Grab!

"You're not going anywhere tonight." I said smiling.

She was sweating cold.