Nodens.
The one who calls himself the ‘Great Lord of the Abyss’ and is referred to in the pantheon as the ‘Old God who upholds honor.’
Ordinarily, outsiders are called evil spirits by all the people of the continent.
Which makes sense, since almost all outsiders drive humans mad merely by manifesting, and the mere swing of their arms has been known to shatter entire cities.
A representative case is the archipelago located in the northwest.
It was once a peaceful island nation with a population of hundreds of thousands.
But when an outsider materialized beyond the coastline, the island was split clean in half.
These beings possessed an overwhelming power and presence that was beyond human comprehension. Whenever they manifested, countless people were unable to escape death.
The first time he showed his face to humans, it was no different.
Suddenly, a massive outsider appeared.
A monstrous figure manifested on a distant shore.
As countless people lost their minds in despair, prophesying their terrible deaths, yet another massive figure appeared from the opposite side of the shore.
Only this presence was different from the previous outsider. It wasn’t grotesque but, in fact, resembled a human.
The people described it as an old man with white hair and a long beard who arrived riding a large conch shell chariot, splashing through the waves.
The brilliant light emanating from his body gave some people the chance to regain their senses, and with a fiery sword, the outsider cleaved the grotesque entity in one swift motion.
In the blink of an eye, he had dealt with the outsider, emitting another dazzling light that healed all the wounds of the humans before vanishing with the waves.
The arrival of the first outsider who was friendly toward humans led to widespread enthusiasm, and it was only natural that people began to worship him.
Whenever terrible outsiders attacked, he would appear with the waves and repel them.
As the number of his worshippers grew, his statue was placed in the pantheon, and soon the religion that revered him was officially recognized as a major continental religion.
Since he was listed in many documents, I, who enjoyed reading, naturally came to know of this outsider.
Finding the commonalities between one who didn’t harm humans and one who resembled them, I asked Lily if she perhaps knew about him.
“…Arthur. What did you just say?”
Ah, it seems I’ve meddled in something I shouldn’t have.
“How do you know that name?”
“From a book… I saw it.”
“Is that so? What did it say?”
“Uh… about protecting humans…”
A wrinkle formed on Lily’s otherwise flawless forehead.
-Gulp
In my nervousness, I unknowingly gulped and continued stutteringly,
“….upholding honor…”
Another line.
“Great and…”
Yet another line.
“powerful outsider… I read.”
By the time I finished speaking, Lily’s face had contorted in a mixture of emotions.
Lily, who had been biting her lips pensively, let out a deep sigh and lowered her head.
“Haa… Well, what could you possibly have done wrong? That hypocrite is to blame for everything.”
…Hypocrite? Who? Nodens?
“Listen carefully, Arthur. Everything about the Nodens you described is fake, except for one thing.”
“Excuse me? Only one thing?”
“The part about being a powerful outsider. Everything else is a blatant lie, full of hypocrisy.”
“Seriously?”
Lily motioned for me to come closer.
Approaching the visibly upset Lily, she grasped my hand tightly.
Meeting my eyes, Lily continued in a calm voice,
“Don’t you trust me?”
“No. I trust you completely.”
“Really?”
“Yes. There’s nothing of Lily’s words I couldn’t believe.”
It was truly so. If I couldn’t trust the sincerity in Lily’s words, I would have torn off the ears that heard it and the brain that doubted it.
Satisfied with my answer, Lily’s expression softened as she gave a faint smile.
“I was asking if I know Nodens, right? I do. I know him very well. To be honest, there are very few people who know him better than me in this world… well, anyway, I know him very well. Do you know why?”
I shook my head, and Lily gave a slightly bitter smile.
“Because he was once… uh… a kind of ex-boyfriend of mine.”
“…”
What… What did she just say?
I tried to sit up in surprise, but Lily’s grip on my hand was too strong.
“Please listen.”
Looking into Lily’s eyes, I could see a trace of moisture.
Compelled by the heartfelt appeal in those moist eyes, I could do nothing but sit back down slowly.
“Sorry if I surprised you a little there. But to be clear, it wasn’t love or anything. It was an empty relationship with no feelings attached. We were close out of a bit of rebellion, and it wasn’t particularly pleasant either. We were together for a while though, until fairly recently.”
A flicker of anger passed through Lily’s eyes, which had shown sadness just moments ago.
“Did something happen?”
“…That guy betrayed me. He attacked me from behind and tried to kill me.”
“Are you serious? Why would he suddenly…?”
“Because we belonged to different factions. The two groups have had adversarial relations for a long time. Given our positions, it should have been expected to erupt at some point.”
“Still, that’s betrayal, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Betrayal. The only true image Nodens shows to humans is his strength. I was completely helpless against him and managed to barely escape with my life, severely wounded.”
Severe wounds? Could it be…?
Lily nodded upon reading my expression.
“That’s right. The wounds I had when we first met in Dreamland. That was it.”
“You were almost dead!”
“Yes, I was close. If you hadn’t been there…”
A variety of emotions flickered across Lily’s eyes during our conversation, but ultimately, the emotion she carried now was directed toward me.
“Because of you, I was able to survive. Looking back, I hadn’t even thanked you. Thank you, Arthur, for saving me.”
“A-Ah, it’s no big deal…”
It really wasn’t anything special.
We couldn’t find any medication, so I wrapped the wound with leaves, shared my body heat, and brought a few fruits to eat. That was all.
“Because you were there, I was able to survive. Your mere presence was enough to draw in a faint trace of life energy.”
“Ah…”
That explained why that prickly cat was clingy with me.
“Lily.”
Holding her hand, I asked,
“Are you okay now?”
“Hmm… Not completely, but I’ve recovered quite a bit thanks to someone who worked hard sharing life force with me.”
Lily gently tapped her lips with a soft smile, and realizing the meaning behind the gesture, I blushed deeply and lowered my head.
Life energy seemed to mean more to Lily than just sustenance.
‘Maybe I should share more with her going forward?’
As I contemplated this thought tinged with selfishness,
“Do you mind if I ask one more question? It’s awkward with the timing, but I really want to ask.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Um… How do I phrase this without sounding strange?”
While muttering under her breath, Lily carefully chose her words.
“Arthur.”
I met her gaze as she built up to the question.
“Since eating with me, have you ever felt dizzy, extremely tired, or…uh… had a nosebleed? Anything like that?”
What kind of question is this?
“Um… No, I don’t think so?”
While it’s true I’ve been feeling dizzy and tired lately, that wasn’t really because of Lily but because of the rapid changes in my surroundings—expulsion notices, becoming a family member with an outsider, even finding erotica about outsiders in the Academy’s restricted library.
To sum it up, it just makes me feel more dizzy.
“Hmm?”
Lily pondered something for a moment and then decided,
“Never mind. Let’s eat first.”
…Was it something related to me?
What is it? Don’t give up!
—
“Lily? What is this…?”
“An egg from a Giant Albino Penguin! It’s an excellent ingredient rich in protein.”
Then, she whispered slyly to me:
“Since we used it earlier, we should replenish it, right?”
Oh Lord.
“Lily, please…”
“Hehehe.”
As I watched Lily suppress her laughter behind me, I turned my attention back to the egg before me.
How the word ‘giant’ was attached to a penguin’s egg made no sense intellectually, but looking at the egg in front of me, I couldn’t help but nod.
It was about 1.5 times the size of my forearm.
“How can a penguin’s egg be the size of a penguin itself?”
I remembered my visit to the zoo long ago.
The penguins I remembered were small and cute…
“These penguins are taller than you, I bet.”
…Well, at that point, could they even be called penguins?
“I heard cooking it tastes amazing, so I brought it to try.”
Lily summoned a black flame, which engulfed the shiny egg.
After a little time, the egg turned slightly brown and popped out of the flame.
“Oof!”
With a shout, Lily struck the egg with the edge of her hand, splitting the shell cleanly in half.
The presumed white was slightly burnt, turning into an appetizing brown color, and the yolk could still be seen through the semi-transparent white.
Though the delicious aroma tempted my appetite,
“…This is too big, right?”
Let me restate: it’s 1.5 times the size of my forearm.
There was no way I could casually eat this like a normal boiled egg.
“Is that so? Then I’ll eat with you.”
Ah, so even if it wasn’t her sustenance, it can be eaten, right?
Once again, Lily’s hand swept down, cutting the roasted egg into eight perfect pieces.
“Let’s eat.”
“Eat well~”
Putting the first piece into my mouth, I could taste its rich flavor.
“Mm… It’s not much different from other eggs, surprisingly.”
“They were ordinary penguins originally. Their evolution just took a different direction.”
“So are they similar in appearance?”
“Uh… Frankly, I recommend not seeing them. They’ve changed a lot since they adapted to living in caves.”
Cute penguins? Not so much… it’s hard to imagine after eating their egg.
Eggs, as food, tend to leave the mouth feeling dry after a few bites.
Just as I was thinking about my parched throat, Lily placed a cup in front of me.
“Golden honey wine from yesterday. It pairs well with this.”
Reading my mind like that could be handy sometimes.
“Gulp. Can outsiders all read human minds?”
“Eh? I can’t read thoughts. Not here in this reality, anyway.”
“Then how did you know I was thirsty?”
“Because you’re family.”
When she says it like that, there’s really nothing to say.
Yeah… That makes sense.
I suddenly recalled a way to retaliate for all the teasing I’ve received thus far.
Offering a piece of penguin egg to Lily,
“Lily. Ah~”
Startled, Lily’s eyes widened.
I felt a surge of confidence at her reaction.
Even worms squirm when stepped on!
But contrary to my expectations, the initially surprised Lily soon propped her cheek on one hand, looking at me with an affectionate gaze.
“Ah~”
And her lips, brighter than the eggshell, opened.
‘…This is not how it’s supposed to be…’
As I hesitated to hand over the egg,
“Hmmmm…”
Suddenly, Lily leaned forward and sucked my fingers into her mouth along with the egg.
“Li, Lily?!”
With her lips tightly closed, Lily muffled the egg, and occasionally something wet brushed against my fingers inside.
Finally, after swallowing all the egg, Lily softly smiled and… started sucking on my fingers.
“Chiip…Chiip…Chooock~”
“Guuh…”
It felt like a tingling current was running through my fingers.
Then, as she licked her tongue over my fingers, I had no choice but to surrender.
“Sorry, Lily.”
Only then, with a ‘pop’ sound, did Lily release my fingers and stroke my hair.
“Hohoho, you’re so cute. Did you think you could outwit me?”
“It wasn’t out of a desire to outdo you… but more of wanting to get a little revenge…”
“Oh my, when did I ever make things difficult for you?”
Honestly speaking, just her existence has been a bit difficult for me…
Thinking about it as my throat felt dry again.
-Screeech
Suddenly, Lily got up and sat beside me, holding the last piece of egg.
“Come on, Arthur. Ah~”
Knowing it must be a karmic repercussion for my earlier behavior, I obediently opened my mouth.
But instead of feeding the egg…
“Huup.”
Lily placed the piece of egg between her lips.
“Uuung~”
Her closed eyes and leaning forward indicated that she was clearly expecting me to eat it from her lips.
“Do I really have to eat it this way?”
At my trembling question, Lily gave me a fierce glare.
“Uuung~!”
“Ergh… Alright.”
As I reached for the egg, Lily’s hair tied my hands to the chair.
Wait a moment.
“…Do you expect me to eat it with my mouth?”
“Uuung!”
Lily nodded cutely while making the sound.
“Are you sure you’re not going to do anything?”
“Uuung~?”
Lily tilted her head with a look of pure innocence as if she knew nothing.
Of course, I knew it was all an act, but there was nothing I could do.
“Then…”
I slowly approached, using my teeth to grab the tip of the egg piece.
‘If I just pull it out…’
My gaze, which had been fixed on the egg, suddenly shifted to Lily.
Her soft, curved eyebrows, her eyes twinkling with mischief yet filled with warmth—seeing them made my reason snap.
“Chuup!”
“!!!”
Without warning, I leaned in, covering Lily’s lips along with the egg with mine.
The surprise in Lily’s eyes widened at my sudden move.
From there, I continued my attack, this time more aggressively.
I ignored the egg, swallowed it carelessly, and then roughly captured Lily’s lips.
“Chuep… Ju… Wait… Chuep… Arthur… Huff…”
As the initially bewildered Lily gave in, confidence swelled within me and I pressed further.
Lily’s hair loosened, and taking the opportunity, I freed my hands. Circling my arm around the back of her neck, I drew her even closer to prevent her escape.
“Chuup… Chiip… Chiiip…”
I greedily drank the saliva from her rigid lips.
After some time,
When finally our lips parted, a long silver thread connected us before disappearing into the air.
As Lily’s expression froze in shock, I panted and spoke,
“Haaah… Haaah… How about that—is this still considered eating?”
The realization that I had taken the lead for the first time gave me an inexplicable surge of confidence.
As I panted for a while longer, I suddenly realized something startling.
“Uh?”
I had witnessed an extremely perplexing scene.
“Uh? Uh, Lily?”
The change in Lily’s previously frozen expression was surprising.
Until now, it was the first time I had seen such an expression on Lily, or rather, I hadn’t anticipated Lily was capable of such a look.
Lily was actually…
“Whew…”
Blushing.
