What is the most terrifying moment in a relationship?
When you have to part ways with the other person?
When the other person suddenly asks to see your face?
When the other person is angry?
When the other person is with someone else of the opposite sex?
Or when the other person suddenly says they’re going to take a shower first and goes in…
There’s no set answer.
It can vary from person to person.
I thought I was afraid when Lily was mad at me.
But that wasn’t it…
I was most uneasy when the other person, Lily, said nothing and walked silently.
And it was exactly like that moment right now.
Lily was walking across the park beside me.
Her expression as she walked towards the dormitory was stiff and hard.
‘Is she angry? She must be…’
Not only did I stop Lily who had come rushing to save me, but I ended up making a contract too.
I don’t blame her for being angry and throwing me around.
As I tried to observe her expression, when I regained my senses, I found myself just sighing in admiration.
‘She’s beautiful…’
It wasn’t the right thing to say in this atmosphere, but even a hard expression suited Lily beautifully.
Speaking of which, the sight of Lily breaking through the wall to appear and save me was truly impressive…
When I saw it, my heart couldn’t help but race.
It was definitely reassuring and comforting to know that there was a pillar to resolve the situation.
But the thought that this pillar might be disappointed in me made my heart feel like it was being torn apart.
Before I knew it, I found myself murmuring.
“I’m sorry…”
At that, Lily stopped in her tracks.
Thinking she was about to get angry, I closed my eyes tightly.
However…
“…No. It’s all my fault. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
A voice came through, as if something was stuck in her throat.
As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw Lily looking down at me, her eyes red—not because she was tearing up, but physically red at the corners.
“But it’s because of me that you ended up making a contract, Lily.”
“It was bound to happen eventually. I couldn’t keep my true identity hidden forever. If anything, it’s a relief. If Nodens had found out from the beginning, it would have been a real disaster. Doing it sooner was better.”
Lily then sighed as if lamenting, her voice slightly cracked.
“I didn’t even know you were kidnapped… While you were trembling in prison, I was just sitting at home cooking…”
Lily’s shoulders were drooped.
Where had the bold woman who broke through the wall gone?
“If you had gotten hurt… I… I…”
Lily covered her face with both hands.
Sobs leaked out from between her fingers.
“Sob… Hic… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
What was leaking out from between her fingers wasn’t just sobs…
A stream of water.
They were Lily’s tears.
Seeing those transparent drops, I was at a loss for words.
I thought the scariest moment was when Lily walked silently without saying anything.
But it wasn’t…
I… feared Lily’s tears the most.
The sight of the crying Lily didn’t make her seem taller than me anymore.
Her vulnerable side made my heart ache as if it was breaking.
With lips that trembled uncontrollably, I began to speak.
“…Lily.”
“Hic… Sob…”
“Please look at me.”
“Sob…”
“I want to see Lily’s face.”
Lily shook her head back and forth while covering her face.
“…No… Sob… I’m crying right now… Hic… I’m a mess… that’s what I mean…”
In response, I chuckled softly and gently grabbed Lily’s wrists.
“So what if you’re a mess? It’s still the face that I like the most. Can’t you show it to me, please?”
At my pleading, Lily faltered for a moment before slowly lowering her hands.
The face that appeared was indeed a “mess,” as she had said, with tears streaming down, but to me, it shone brightly.
Our eyes met, and Lily’s widened.
“…Wh… Why… Why are you looking…? Why…?”
With trembling hands, Lily grasped my face.
I hadn’t noticed that tears were streaming down my own face as well.
Ah, no wonder my vision was getting blurry.
I placed my hands over Lily’s tear-soaked ones.
“Since you’re crying, I’ll cry too.”
“…Sob… Why..?”
“Because I like you.”
“Hic… I…I couldn’t protect you last time, and this time too… I couldn’t protect you again…”
“No, you did. Twice. If it weren’t for Lily, I wouldn’t even be here. Thank you, Lily.”
With that, I cupped Lily’s wet cheek and kissed her lips.
Attempting to push me away by twisting her body, Lily tried to break the kiss.
In response, I embraced her neck and clung to her.
After the kiss, I still stayed attached and spoke to Lily.
“Do you know how happy I was when you broke through the wall? It was reassuring and made me feel so happy…”
“…Really?”
“Of course. Really.”
After the kiss, Lily’s trembling calmed down quickly.
“The sight of you firing beams was incredibly cool too. I’m falling for you all over again.”
“…That’s violent.”
“Puht… No, it was amazing.”
Click.
I gave her a kiss on the cheek, and Lily’s whole body shivered.
Holding her tightly for a while as she calmed down, her sobs gradually subsided.
“…Are you calmer now?”
“…Yup. Sorry, but I was scared thinking that you might get hurt…”
“I understand.”
Taking a deep breath, I tightened my arms around Lily and continued.
“Thank you, Lily.”
“Hmm..?”
“For everything. For rescuing me, for getting angry for me, for worrying about me. Thank you for everything.”
“…Hic…”
Oh no, she’s crying again…
“Huuuuuu Arthur~!”
Lily crushed me in a hug tight enough to crush me.
It felt like I heard a crack from my shoulder, but whatever, it’s fine.
Since Lily cares for me like this…
“I love you… Love… Sob… Love… Love Arthur!!”
“I love you too, Lily.”
Thus, with Lily somewhat calmed, we headed back to the dormitory…
“…Lily…”
“…Hmph?”
No, please don’t answer like that…
It makes it hard for me to continue speaking…
Lily carried me in her arms as we walked…
As if I were a baby…
Though no one else was around due to the late hour,
It’s still embarrassing, and that’s unavoidable.
“…Must we go this way?”
At that, Lily’s eyes misted over instantly.
Looking at me with tear-filled eyes, Lily spoke.
“…Do you want to be apart from me?”
When you say things like that, how am I supposed to refuse?
In the end, I had no choice but to cling to her.
Aside from the occasional times Lily pressed her nose and inhaled by my neck, it was quite comfortable…
We arrived at the dormitory, and Lily hesitated before finally letting me down.
She immediately wrapped her arms around my waist.
As I looked at her perplexedly…
“Because I’m anxious…”
Lily then proceeded to sniff the scent of my hair.
What’s with sniffing that area…
But at the dorm entrance, it felt like all the tension melted out of my body.
‘Ah, home is the best…’
Just moments ago, I was in a place where talks of war were happening, but now I’ve finally returned to my room.
This comfort, this sense of stability, soothes my mind—
“…Hmm?”
Something was a little off about the state of the room.
The furniture was scattered messily, and there was some unknown black smudge on the ceiling.
Even the dining table was split in half, broken into two pieces.
“Ah! This is from… that…”
Startled, Lily waved her hand, and the items rearranged themselves—
The furniture was reorganized, the ceiling cleaned up, and the dining table fixed as if it were brand new.
However, the largest presence in the center of the room, a crater-sized hole, remained untouched.
Judging by its appearance, something had apparently shot out from that spot at an incredible speed.
The floor material pushed to one side was now acting as a makeshift wall.
And it was then that I realized why the room was in such a state.
“…Lily…”
“Uhm, hmm?”
“Were you very angry?”
“Hyeok!”
Had I hit the nail on the head? Lily hiccuped in surprise.
“I’m sorry…”
“No, it’s my fault for worrying Lily, what was I thinking…?”
“No, that’s not…”
As Lily opened her mouth again to blame herself, I covered her lips with mine to stop her.
“Uumph….”
Smack…
“Still, it’s fortunate. At least the whole room didn’t fly away. For a moment, I thought this whole dorm building might’ve been blown away.”
“…Even if I’m angry, I can still distinguish right from wrong to that extent.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Click.
After a short kiss, I turned my head and let out a long yawn.
“Are you tired? It’s quite late, after all. I’ll clean this up. But first, go take a shower. You’re covered in dust.”
“Haa… Yes…”
Being in that high-pressure place must’ve really piled on the fatigue…
In the bathroom, I half-heartedly brushed my teeth before taking a shower.
Sitting in the bathtub under the warm shower, I started to drift off into a daze…
“Huuuuuaaam… After showering, I’ll sleep. Focus… Hmm….”
Thud…
—–
Lily tried to muster all her strength to initiate a restoration magic spell, but…
…
The hole didn’t fill…
‘What should I do? The hole still carries the remnants of my anger, resisting the magic.’
This crater bore the remnants of Lily’s intense fury.
Having exhausted much of her energy while firing beams wildly, Lily couldn’t handle fixing the hole right now.
‘I need power. More life energy…’
Her gaze naturally shifted towards the restroom…
At the sound of water from the other side of the door, Lily’s face flushed.
‘What am I thinking?! Am I crazy?!’
Shaking her head, Lily tried considering other options but ultimately knew the answer was set.
Lily went to the restroom door…
And after hesitating for a moment, she slowly raised her hand…
Knock…
“Err, Arthur? This might not be the right situation to ask, but… may I have a ‘meal’?”
This is solely to restore the floor using life energy absorption…
Certainly not due to any personal desires…
Though she couldn’t exactly deny it entirely…
But…
‘?……?’
After waiting for a long time, there was no response.
Thinking he might not have heard, Lily knocked on the door again.
Knock…
“Arthur~? Can we talk for a moment?”
Still, no response…
‘Could it be?!’
Lily quickly used life detection magic and was relieved to find Arthur was indeed on the other side of the door.
‘Then why isn’t he answering me?’
This time, she knocked a bit harder.
Bang Bang…
“Arthur~?”
Silence.
Tilting her head in confusion, a thought occurred to Lily, and she smacked her palm to her forehead.
‘Ah! Could he have fallen asleep?’
She tried detecting again…
And found Arthur half-lying in the bathtub.
‘Sure enough, he’s asleep. What should I do..?’
The air inside the bathroom was already filled with hot, steamy moisture from the warm water…
If left like this, Arthur might suffer from heatstroke.
Lily came up with several methods but they could be categorized into two main options:
1. Wake him with magic.
This was the simplest and most effective method, but…
From what she detected, Arthur currently had a very peaceful expression.
She didn’t want to wake him from that deep sleep.
‘He’s tired enough as it is…’
Then the second option was…
2. Go in directly.
This way, she could lift him from the bathtub without waking him and carry him to the bed…
But the issue…
Of course, he had taken off his clothes to shower…
So Arthur’s current state was…
‘Ah, naked..!’
Lily’s face turned red as a tomato.
Though Lily and Arthur had progressed in their relationship to almost every stage, except for “that act” and its associated actions…
Although occasionally, Lily spent happy moments snuggled into the sleeping Arthur’s arms…
She had never seen his completely unclothed body before…
“A, Ahem…”
Lily placed her hands on her burning cheeks, attempting to cool her rising heat, but her hands were also red-hot, so it had little effect.
Pacing around the room anxiously, Lily finally made her decision.
‘It could be dangerous to leave him like this. Hmm, I’m doing this solely for Arthur’s sake…’
It’s definitely not for personal satisfaction.
It’s definitely not out of curiosity…
With that, Lily convinced herself and placed her hand on the doorknob.
“Phew….”
Taking a deep breath, Lily slowly opened the door, and the hot, steamy air rushed out as if waiting for this moment…
The dense steam slowly dissipated, allowing the bathroom’s interior to come into view…
Lily took trembling steps forward toward the sound of the falling hot water…
Peering into the bathtub, Lily gasped sharply…
“Hyeup..!”
Inside was Arthur, completely unclothed…
Smooth skin, slightly paler than Lily herself but still on the fair side…
Though his body was relatively slim, it triggered a protective instinct, making one feel the desire to protect him…
Furthermore…
“Hyeok!”
The part most wrapped in privacy finally revealed itself.
