"To be personally asked—no, practically begged—by the Sword Princess, famed throughout Orario… There really aren't many men who could bring themselves to turn you down."
Looking at Ais, Su Mo let out a sigh.
Any man would struggle to refuse a request delivered with such innocent sincerity from the girl standing before him.
Hearing that, Ais's eyes lit up—she thought he was about to say yes.
Lefiya also relaxed, a soft blush still lingering on her face, but she smiled in relief for Ais's sake.
However, just when the two of them thought Su Mo was about to agree—
"Your offer is sincere, and your terms aren't bad either," he said.
"Daga Kotowaru."
A complete 180.
Su Mo flatly turned down Ais's request.
"My favorite thing in the world," he said with a smirk, "is saying no to people who are absolutely certain the answer will be yes."
"…Huh?"
Lefiya froze. Someone… actually refused Miss Ais? Even when she was offering something that generous?
"Ugh…"
Ais's eyes dimmed instantly, her whole demeanor drooping in quiet disappointment.
"Why?" she asked softly. "Is it because the offer wasn't good enough?"
"No, it's not that."
Su Mo shook his head.
"It's just that I'm not interested in making a deal. And besides… even if I told you how I got stronger, you wouldn't be able to use it."
How did Su Mo become so powerful?
The truth, of course, was simple: himself.
But not just one version of himself—he had the power to draw strength from countless versions of himself across different worlds. That was his cheat. That was his edge.
Without that—without the convergence of his otherworld selves—none of it would've been possible.
Even if he explained it, it would mean nothing to Ais. After all, she had no way to summon her own counterparts from other dimensions.
Of course, Su Mo's explanation made perfect sense.
But to others, it sounded like a flimsy excuse.
"Even if I can't use it," Ais said stubbornly, "I still want to know. If you tell me how, I'll find a way to try!"
She was determined. Fiercely so.
In her eyes, there was no such thing as a method she couldn't at least attempt. Even if it was a bloodline-based secret technique or something locked behind lineage, she would find parallels, train herself to the edge, and push forward.
Step by step—inch by inch—until that effort culminated in true transformation.
That was the path Ais had always walked.
And she didn't want to give up now.
But Su Mo had already made up his mind.
The convergence of infinite selves from across the multiverse—that was the foundation of his strength. Without it, there was no point even trying.
Besides, he had other things to do—like returning home so Hestia could update his stats.
He waved a hand, clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation.
"I told you—you won't be able to use it. No matter how much you push, it's useless."
"And anyway, are you sure I was just a regular person back when we met? It's been a long time. Maybe I wasn't so ordinary after all."
With that cryptic remark, Su Mo began packing up his stall, ready to leave.
"But—!"
Seeing him walk away, Ais couldn't help but grab the hem of his cloak.
She had finally found even a chance at getting stronger—how could she just let it slip away?
At that moment, Lefiya stepped in to stop her.
"Miss Ais, you don't have to go this far! Anyone watching would think you're confessing to him or something!"
"And besides… I think he has a point. You only met once, ages ago. Maybe he wasn't a normal person even back then, and his power increase since then is just the result of leveling up. It might not be anything special at all!"
To be honest, Lefiya herself didn't think Su Mo's recent growth was particularly astonishing.
Ais might simply have overestimated the gap in power because Su Mo had just leveled up and underestimated his strength from before. That likely led to a mistaken impression.
"Lefiya…" Ais blinked in surprise at her companion's words.
"Could I really be misremembering?" She tilted her head, a little unsure of her own memory.
Although Ais was undeniably strong, she didn't possess perfect recall. Back when she met Su Mo a month ago, she was far more interested in his fried rice than his strength. She hadn't paid much attention to his abilities.
Now that she heard both Su Mo and Lefiya suggesting otherwise, doubt began to creep in.
Perhaps back then, the man already had a decent amount of strength, and only recently leveled up. That would explain the noticeable jump in power now.
It wasn't impossible.
As she was lost in thought, Ais finally came back to her senses—only to find that Su Mo had already disappeared.
The bit of cloth she'd been holding onto had slipped away from her fingers, leaving nothing behind.
Lefiya, seeing Ais come to, quickly leaned in with concern. "Ais, everyone's starting to stare at us… Let's head back."
The socially anxious elf was clearly uncomfortable with the crowd's attention. On top of that, she couldn't shake the feeling that something about their gazes seemed... odd.
"Alright," Ais nodded after a brief pause.
Su Mo was gone. There was no point staying here now. She didn't know where he lived, so even if she wanted to keep trying, it would have to wait until tomorrow.
The two girls turned and began making their way back to the Loki Familia's residence.
What neither of them realized was that they were still in the middle of the busiest part of Orario's commercial district.
Ais's earlier actions—bowing her head and earnestly begging Su Mo—had not gone unnoticed.
After all, this was Ais Wallenstein, the beloved of the gods, the one known far and wide as the "Sword Princess," whose beauty was often said to rival the divine.
And yet, today, she had humbled herself before a man in public.
Even more shockingly, after being outright rejected, she had clung to his sleeve, unwilling to let him go.
And then... that man still walked away.
The sheer drama of the moment practically begged to be turned into gossip.
—"Sword Princess Ais was rejected by a mysterious man!"
—"Heartbroken Ais Wallenstein turned away in tears after being dumped!"
—"Unbelievable! Sword Princess desperately begged a man who coldly left her behind—is this the downfall of morals, or a twist of fate?"
The rumors began to spread like wildfire. Each retelling made them just a little more outrageous.
Until finally, it became a sensation Orario couldn't ignore.