“… Huhk!”
The end of the fall was reality.
Falling endlessly through bottomless void was difficult to endure, no matter how skilled a Master one might be.
“Phew…”
My back was drenched in cold sweat.
It was proof of the fear I’d felt in that brief moment.
I steadied my breathing and looked out the window.
The sun had already risen.
Judging by its position, it wasn’t yet noon.
Still, I felt like I’d slept deeply.
My body didn’t feel too bad either.
Pook-shin-
Absentmindedly touching the side, I felt something soft.
Of course, it was Black Wolf’s tail.
Though it had been quiet lately, as soon as there was an opening, it had snuck right in again.
“Keeeng…”
This kid is talking in sleep like a puppy or something.
A Suin race characteristic maybe…
“It’s hot.”
Putting that aside, when did this guy get here?
Surely I’m not sweating because this guy’s making it warm, right?
Annoyed, I fiddled with Black Wolf’s ears.
They felt especially squishy today.
Squishier than usual, more like molrang if anything.
“Koo…”
To think he doesn’t wake up even when I do this.
Black Wolf must have been pretty tired.
After enjoying the soft sensation for quite a while, I carefully got out of bed.
“Kuuu~”
Stretching fully made me feel refreshed.
On the other hand, my damp t-shirt felt unpleasant.
I took it off immediately.
Tossing it carelessly on the floor, I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to shower.
“Now that I think about it…”
I hadn’t bathed together with Black Wolf recently. Surely this guy hasn’t gone without bathing all this time, right?
Approaching quietly, I took a deep breath and caught a strange smell.
How should I put this… It was kind of like… dog smell?
If I were to describe it cutely, it could be called “puppy scent.”
Honestly, it wasn’t that bad.
Still, I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.
A funny prank came to mind, so I very, very carefully picked him up.
“Kuung…?”
“It’s fine. You can keep sleeping.”
“… Koo…”
Black Wolf scrunched up his eyes but quickly fell back asleep.
This works.
Not pretending to be asleep, right?
Well, if he is, that’s even better.
With a mischievous smile, I quietly entered the bathroom.
The good thing here is that each palace has its own hot spring.
Maybe because royalty used to use them, but the important thing is I don’t have to fill up water.
The moment I turn on the shower, this sensitive guy would wake up.
So I surrounded myself with aura to prevent feeling the heat or humidity.
By now, you probably know what I’m planning to do.
“?!”
Uh oh, sensing something suspicious, the target started to wake up.
I immediately sped up and jumped straight into the hot spring.
“Plash-”
“…!!!”
“Ugh…!”
The moment I entered the water, I felt a sharp pain.
Black Wolf had bitten my shoulder in surprise.
Yeah, since I played a trick, I guess I should bear with this much.
It’s not like it’s a dagger anyway.
“Alright. Don’t worry. I’m not your enemy.”
I smiled gently and stroked his head.
Then, slowly releasing the tension in his mouth, Black Wolf cautiously looked up at me.
“… Allen?”
“Did you sleep well?”
“… Worst ever.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
Seeing that he had calmed down somewhat, I undressed him.
Thankfully, he was wearing pajamas.
Back in the day, he used to sleep in his battle gear.
After nagging him so much, he finally started wearing pajamas to sleep.
“Shouldn’t you wear some underwear too?”
“It’s uncomfortable.”
“Still, you’re a girl. Wouldn’t it be better to wear it? No, before that, if you’re human, you should wear underwear.”
“I’m wearing some underneath.”
“Oh… Thank you.”
What is this, it’s not like I’m raising a little sister.
Even calling him a friend feels strange.
It’s more like raising a pet.
There used to be a debate about whether male-female friendships are possible.
Watching Black Wolf makes me believe it’s definitely possible.
We’ve shared sleeping, bathing, eating countless times, yet I never get weird thoughts.
While enjoying the hot spring and thinking these trivial thoughts, Black Wolf blinked his eyes in my arms.
“When did you get the tattoo?”
“Tattoo?”
“On your chest.”
Following Black Wolf’s finger, I lowered my head to see some kind of drawing on my chest.
What is this?
“What is it?”
“There’s a tree drawn there.”
“Tree… Ah, could it be the World Tree?”
Yggdrasil had placed her hand on my chest once.
After that, the curse’s pain hit me, and then the memory faded away.
Now I remember – her emerald energy must have seeped into my body and formed this tattoo.
Simply put, this tattoo is proof that I’ve been recognized by a deity.
In other words, it’s a mark showing I’ve received divine approval.
“World Tree?”
“To explain briefly… It seems to be a sign that I’ve been acknowledged by a god. Thanks to this, one of the curses has been resolved.”
I used to have a stifling feeling like something was gripping my heart from the residual effects of the curse, but I don’t feel that anymore now.
Is this clarity because of that?
“Not all curses are gone, but at least I don’t think they’ll flare up anymore.”
Shrugging my shoulders, Black Wolf placed his hand on my chest.
And he smiled brightly.
“I’m glad.”
“… I’m glad too.”
This guy, can he smile like this?
Some strange feeling made my response slow.
For some reason, my heart felt ticklish.
Seems like the aftereffects of the curse are still lingering.
“Good… This hot spring experience will surely leave an impression.”
I casually submerged myself deeper into the tub.
The refreshing sensation made my body feel pleasantly weary.
“Humans really love water, I don’t understand why.”
“Don’t you feel your fatigue melting away?”
“Not really. But still…”
Black Wolf perked up his ears and calmly looked at me.
“Anything feels good as long as I’m with you.”
Looking at his face, I felt a cozy warmth like being wrapped in winter blankets.
“… That’s fortunate.”
I tilted my head back.
And I turned Black Wolf’s body to pull him closer into my embrace.
If I kept looking at his face, I felt like something irreversible might happen.
Why is that, even though we’ve shared baths countless times?
“… Allen?”
Surprised by my sudden action, Black Wolf tilted his head curiously.
When I didn’t say anything, he relaxed and naturally leaned against my chest.
Like that, we enjoyed the hot spring for a while.
“Biting you earlier, sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. I was the one playing tricks after all… And it didn’t really hurt anyway.”
“That’s because I subconsciously held back knowing it was you. If it had been someone else, my neck would have been torn off.”
“You talk big. If you had a dagger, you would have stabbed me.”
“I have one, but I didn’t use it. My fangs are sharper anyway.”
His ridiculous statement made me chuckle.
No matter how strong a Suin’s teeth may be, they can’t compare to a finely tempered dagger.
He seemed annoyed by my mockery and elbowed my side.
The sharp pain instantly woke me up.
“Ow…! That actually hurts.”
“That’s the point. Idiot.”
“You brat… We’ll see when I scrub you later. I’ll peel off your dead skin.”
“I don’t have any dead skin.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“… Sorry.”
Seeing him apologize immediately because he didn’t want me to scrub him, I burst out laughing.
That strange feeling from earlier finally seemed to disappear.
What exactly was that feeling just now?
What influence did Yggdrasil’s power have?
Would understanding the recognition of another deity provide answers?
Leaving those questions unanswered for now, we spent some lazy time together.
***
After finishing our bath and stepping outside, I unexpectedly came face-to-face with someone.
Small stature, yet possessing strength immeasurable.
It was the captain of the Guardian Knights.
“Did you enjoy your bath?”
“Yes… Uh…”
I awkwardly nodded.
Seeing his face reminded me of the hellish training we endured together.
It was nice not seeing him for a bit…
Just looking at his face now makes me feel nauseous.
“What brings you here…?”
I tried to act natural.
Fortunately, Black Wolf who was coming out behind me had already noticed and hidden himself.
If I just act normal, we might get away with it.
“Hmm, it’s fine. I won’t tell Her Imperial Highness.”
Damn, he noticed.
I nonchalantly tilted my head.
“What do you mean?”
“Then shall I go ahead and say it? That you’re the type who enjoys bathing with comrades.”
“… Please don’t.”
No matter how you look at it, that would be embarrassing.
Though Lux would probably understand if properly explained, the process wouldn’t be smooth sailing.
Surrendering by raising both hands, the captain of the Guardian Knights gave a faint smile.
“Hehe, looks like I have leverage now.”
“Ugh… Anyway, what’s the matter?”
“Her Majesty said we’ll likely return to the Empire tomorrow or the day after.”
“That’s good news.”
“Indeed. It means we don’t have much time left.”
“Haa…”
I feared as much.
For some reason, I had a foreboding feeling.
“Come. Let’s head to the practice grounds. We should see it through to the end, right?”
“Yes… I’m going. I’m going.”
I sighed and changed clothes.
Let’s try to think positively about this situation.
Isn’t this a great opportunity to see how Yggdrasil’s power affects me?
This time, I’m definitely going to win.
“Already sensing your fighting spirit. Can I look forward to it?”
“… Haa.”
For some reason, my fighting spirit is waning.
Can I really win…?
