An Adventurer Mom, Who Awakened [Housewife] Skill Through a Login Bonus, Is Making the Most of Her Adventurer Life With the Weekly Flyers She Gets! - Chapter 80

“It was four years ago, that day. I was attending a royal banquet at the palace but I had to leave midway because of stomach pain. I returned to my mansion in the royal capital.”

Because his relationship with Ann had not yet been officially acknowledged, Bernhardt had been unable to attend the banquet with her.

So he went alone. But for some reason, on that particular day, he was suddenly struck by a sharp stomach pain and decided to return home early to the mansion where Ann was waiting for him.

And the moment he arrived home, Bernhardt was attacked by an assailant.

Normally, Bernhardt would have easily been able to fend off such an attacker, but due to the stomach pain, he was unable to exert his usual strength. In that instant, Ann leapt in to protect him and was gravely wounded, left on the verge of death.

“And the culprit? Was he caught?”

Rick asked, but Bernhardt shook his head with a bitter expression.

“No. He escaped.”

“Eh, that’s scary…”

“Ann is incredibly strong. The assassin was alone, and normally, no matter how sudden the ambush, Ann would never lose in a one-on-one fight. That assassin… was not an ordinary human.”

Not an ordinary human, Bernhardt said, and Kachua thought for a moment.

“Then, was it a monster?”

“No.”

Apparently not.

Og hesitated before asking,

“Was it a beastman?”

“Not them either. It was someone who possessed a far more dreadful, evil power. …Do you know that there are people who worship the Evil God?”

Bernhardt asked the group with a solemn look.

“Uh… well, sort of…”

Rick replied, nodding uncertainly.

According to legend, there was once a great battle between good and evil.

The wicked beings who sought to rule the surface world—the demons—were sealed deep underground by the benevolent gods.

The realm of demons, the Demonic World, and the realm of humans are separated by a divine barrier of purification created by the gods.

Although the demons were sealed below, those of weaker power can sometimes slip through small gaps in the barrier and reach the surface. It is said that the monsters appearing in dungeons are descendants of those lesser demons who managed to escape from the underworld.

Conversely, the stronger demons are blocked by the barrier and cannot cross over.

For them to enter this world, a special ritual or summoning must be conducted to pierce the divine barrier and create a passage.

Among these beings, the most powerful and wicked are known as Demon Kings, entities of immense strength.

Even now, they bide their time in the depths, waiting for the chance to descend upon the surface once again.

Thus, the demons continuously attempt to make contact with humans in various ways.

To resist their wicked temptations, people are taught to keep their faith in the good gods pure and unwavering.

…Such is the teaching followed by nearly every nation on the surface.

However, a terrifying truth exists—there are those who secretly worship the Demon Kings as gods.

In Kachua’s country, the worship of evil gods is strictly forbidden, so ordinary citizens almost never encounter such cultists.

They are regarded as distant, almost unreal figures, something people might speak of only as『Do such people really exist?』

But Bernhardt nodded heavily, his expression grim.

“Unfortunately, there are indeed followers of the Evil Gods. They claim that if you pray to the Evil God, your wishes will always be granted. The one who attacked us was a devotee of one such Demon King—a great serpent known as Volacity. It is said that those who make a pact with Volacity eventually lose their humanity and fall into demonhood. Yet, there are still many who willingly cast themselves into that dark temptation.”

“Hmmm… having your wishes granted might sound tempting, but still, turning into a demon is a bit…” Rick said uncertainly.

Laura nodded in agreement.

“Yeah.”

“…I wouldn’t want to become a demon either” Og added with a grimace on his wolfish face.

Bernhardt nodded.

“Of course. But there are still those who make that choice. To the Evil Gods, members of the royal family—who guard the Holy Sword that protects the human realm—must be intolerable obstacles. From time to time, they send their followers to assassinate us. I live with a target on my back at all times.”

He said it calmly, but his words were chilling.

It was said that when a follower of Volacity successfully carried out one of the serpent god’s commands, their wish would be granted. Because of that, the cultists willingly obeyed even the most horrific and immoral orders—no matter how dangerous they might be.

“The assassin who attacked us was strengthened by the power of the Evil God and fought with inhuman might. His skin was covered in black, scale-like armor, and his face was twisted into something utterly monstrous, far removed from anything human. And the weapon he wielded was a Soul-Harvesting Scythe—a deadly magical weapon forged by the Dark Dwarves. It drains its victim’s life force completely, killing them instantly. Under normal circumstances, Ann would not have survived that attack.”

“I’m only alive because of this spear,” Ann said, raising her weapon.

When Kachua had first met Ann, the spear had looked old and worn, but lately, for some reason, its surface gleamed with a subtle sheen, and its edge looked far sharper than before.

“This spear is made from a special ore called Astral Stone, which can only be found on Leda-Ellis Island.”

“Astral Stone?”

“I’ve never heard of it” said Rick, who was usually quite knowledgeable about rare treasures, tilting his head in curiosity.

“It’s an extremely rare mineral—something that’s never meant to leave the island. Weapons forged from Astral Stone are said to be living weapons that grow stronger the more they’re used. When that assassin struck, my spear unleashed all the power it had accumulated over the years to protect me.”

The spear had lost all of its stored power in that moment. Yet even that was not enough to fully shield Ann. The injuries she suffered left her unconscious for three long years.

Her life force had been drained and as a result, her level dropped by fifty.

The cause of Bernhardt’s sudden illness—the stomach pain that started everything—turned out to be a certain dried fish delicacy from one of their allied nations.

It was said to be delicious but for those unaccustomed to it, it could cause digestive trouble.

To be specific, it caused diarrhea.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t poisonous, so it passed the royal food taster’s inspection unnoticed. As a result, nearly all of the royals and high-ranking nobles who attended the banquet and ate the dish fell ill.

When eaten together with a particular type of nut, the fish’s laxative effect became even stronger, and that unfortunate combination greatly worsened the outcome.

Incidentally, while Bernhardt and the other lesser royals all suffered from severe diarrhea, the King himself remained unaffected. His meals were even more strictly supervised and controlled than theirs.

Despite the assassin’s distinctive and grotesque appearance, after the attack he vanished as if into mist.

Even the most skilled knights of the royal capital had been unable to capture him to this day.

The only thing they learned was that the culprit had been a worshiper of Volacity, the Temptation Serpent, a being known for luring humans into darkness through their desires.

“It is said that those who make a pact with Volacity bear the mark of a serpent somewhere on their body. You must be cautious—against him and all the other Evil Gods as well.”

At Bernhardt’s warning, everyone except Ann tilted their heads curiously.

“Other Evil Gods?”

“Evil Gods are not a single being. Just as we have multiple gods who watch over us, they too exist in numbers. Volacity favors the greedy and manipulative, using such humans as his tools. But other Evil Gods are said to command their own vile creatures as servants.”

“What other Evil Gods are there?”

At Rick’s question, Bernhardt sighed.

“There are fifty-two Evil Gods that we know of.”

“Fifty-two?”

“Yes. It seems not all Evil Gods take an interest in the human world, but to be honest, there are so many of them that I cannot tell you exactly what to watch out for.”

Rick swallowed hard.

“The Evil Gods target those who protect the Holy Sword, right? Kachua-san, that must be super dangerous for you.”

“That is correct. However, the secret of Kachua-san’s skill 【Housewife/Househusband】 is known to very few people. Even if someone catches wind that we are searching for the Holy Sword, the exposed ones like the werewolf Og or myself would draw attention first. We do not make a show of our activities.”

Other adventurer teams are larger and perform flashy deeds to raise their fame, openly advertising their exploits. Wealthy patrons and nobles then offer them special commissions.

“I feel bad for Og, but I absolutely want to protect Kachua-san. Until we obtain the Holy Sword, I want you two to act as decoys with me.”

Bernhardt hid his princely identity and wore a cloak enchanted to hinder recognition, yet he sometimes removed it. The plan was to draw attention to himself so that Kachua-san’s presence would remain inconspicuous. Og nodded vigorously at Bernhardt’s request.

“Yes. Of course.”

“Is that okay?”

Kachua felt guilty about putting the two of them on the front line.

“That is better. You have an amazing skill, but you are practically powerless in combat. Besides, you have children.”

Ann said those words.

“Y-yeah. Then I will gratefully accept. Both of you, please take care of them.”

Kachua bowed her head to everyone.

Bernhardt shook his head.

“Kachua-san, you do not need to apologize. This is a team strategy. Fortunately, Kachua-san lives in the knightly barracks and it is more heavily guarded than an ordinary home. There is no need to worry about Ed-kun and the others.”

“That’s a relief.”

Kachua breathed easier at that.

“However,” Bernhardt continued in a gloomy voice,

“If the Holy Sword remains missing for too long, the entire kingdom will be placed in danger. The wicked beings living underground will seize the opportunity to come to the surface. We must, as quickly as possible, either obtain the Holy Sword or beat back the Evil Gods that are trying to come to the surface.”

“Beat back the Evil Gods?”

Kachua echoed, and Bernhardt nodded.

“Beat them back.”

Note from author:

🧾 Relationship Note

• Ann (アン) is about four years older than Bernhardt (ベルンハルト).

• When they first met, their relationship dynamic was “onee-shota” (older girl and younger boy).

😈 Named Demons / Evil Gods (邪神・悪魔)

1. 禍つ竜（まがつりゅう）ブラックドラゴン
   Magatsu Ryū – Black Dragon
   • A cursed dragon said to dwell on the 120th floor of the Loa Dungeon.

   • Known as a “邪竜 (evil dragon)”—a being of destruction and calamity.

2. 誘い蛇（いざないへび）ヴォラスィティ
   Izanai Hebi – Volacity, the Temptation Serpent
   • A serpent who grants wishes in exchange for the petitioner’s soul.

   • Those who make a pact with Volacity eventually fall into demonhood, their bodies marked with the serpent’s sigil.

His cultists are known as “the followers of the Temptation Serpent.”