Myungho tiptoed quietly to avoid waking him, gently opening the door as well. Normally, the clinking sound of his armor would have woken him up much earlier, but he had taken it off today to avoid repeating that mistake.
He hadn’t even been out on the front lines for a few days now. Though he hadn’t planned to idle around for a whole week, he tried alternating his appearances on the front lines every couple of days or so, but it wasn’t easy.
While breaking through a trench or two was fairly simple, without fail, demons appeared afterward and blocked his path. It seemed their prepared devices weren’t just about excessive gravity; sometimes the ground turned into an acidic swamp or they brought something akin to a powerful magnet to either pull or push him away.
It was only thanks to Yuna’s timely help that things didn’t go worse—thinking about it otherwise made him shudder. He felt as though his bones were separating from his flesh before he could be captured.
If the black arrows piercing the sky hadn’t destroyed the device, he would’ve died right there. Since then, he hadn’t gone out at all.
When he asked Acacia if she couldn’t fight, she replied, “The master of the grimoire is Akashi lying over there, so even if I tried, I can’t use magic—it wouldn’t make much sense.”
“…Haa. This is frustrating.”
Without any significant progress, the initial determination he’d built up began to wane, replaced by creeping doubt.
Are the Demon Tribe really bad guys? They seem like bad guys to me, but whether they objectively are, I’m not sure. I don’t even know if this is worth risking my life for.
Though he tried to steady himself with the thought that he needed to get Mari back…
Truthfully, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to fight anymore. As Myungho said, maybe it was better if he just walked away on his own.
As for Mari… it was unfortunate for Yuna, but he wasn’t sure if that puppet meant more to her than Akashi. Still, why did they take it?
Was it to make her bear a child? A ridiculous thought crossed his mind. Even though that puppet had many special functions, considering everything they’d endured, it seemed like the demons could easily replicate it.
So, what else could it be? He doubted they went through all that trouble just for that. Perhaps they were trying to disassemble the puppet to learn something from it.
Thinking wasn’t his job. He decided to leave that to the brilliant mage or Myungho. For now, he simply focused on watching Myungho.
He barely noticed the slight warmth and ticklish sensation in his lower abdomen while observing him.
How deep must his dreams be? Is he dreaming about me? Surely, he must be. No, he definitely should be.
He wished Myungho only dreamed about him. Day or night, he hoped Myungho only saw him. He wished he always thought about him, even though he knew that wasn’t possible—but still, he hoped.
He knew it was a selfish desire, one he wouldn’t dare voice or even think when Myungho was awake. He understood that wanting to possess someone you love was a twisted desire.
But in this world, Myungho was the only thing of value left to him. The most precious and endlessly beloved thing, exclusively his.
Yes. This must be because of the dragon’s blood, right? So, it must be unavoidable. Just a momentary lapse caused by being carried away.
Following the unchecked flow of his thoughts, he quietly and stealthily approached Myungho. Kneeling beside his bed, he silently gazed at him.
Just watching made him feel a little restless. He hesitated to tousle Myungho’s hair, fearing it might wake him, so he carefully touched it with his fingertips instead.
When Myungho shifted slightly, he hastily withdrew his fingers, realizing it was just an unconscious adjustment in sleep. Would this not be enough to wake him? If not…
Two fingers. Three fingers, four fingers. Gradually increasing until finally, he placed his hand on Myungho’s head. Unlike his own, the hair was soft and fine, but he didn’t mind.
This is how your hair feels. Though slightly different from what he imagined, disappointment mixed with an odd sensation as he stroked it. It was endearing that Myungho, unaware of his touch, slept peacefully.
…Sleep well. Did you stay up until dawn yesterday too? Though he couldn’t commend him outright, he certainly worked hard. Effort deserved some kind of reward.
Brushing Myungho’s hair behind his ear, he closed the distance between them. Adjusting his position to lie straight, as sleeping on his side seemed uncomfortable.
Shouldn’t the man usually take the initiative in such situations? He briefly wondered. But the question quickly resolved itself. Although now a woman, he was once a man. More importantly…
It didn’t seem like this small rabbit-like creature had the courage to do so.
As a gentle hint for him to wake up soon, he lightly kissed him. Without involving his tongue, merely pressing their lips together, Myungho’s eyes fluttered in his deep slumber.
“…Uh… Hmm…? What is it? Who… Oh, Alterra…? Why are you here… And wasn’t I just kissing someone in my dream…?”
“It wasn’t a dream.”
“A dream…? You mean… oh…”
Slow to realize. Even understanding took time. With him this close, who else could it be? He gave a slight smile, filled with meaning. Why was Myungho looking at him like that? His face was red like a beet, reaffirming the realization that he was truly insufferable.
Yes, it was Myungho’s fault. The tingling sensation returned to his lower abdomen, feeling even warmer now. It didn’t matter. Nothing else did.
“Hey, Alterra. Wait a moment. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but stop! That demon must’ve done something to your head!”
Hmm. If that were true, shouldn’t we hear his voice? Teasingly smiling, he contemplated what to say to further tease Myungho, but didn’t have long to ponder.
A tremendous vibration was felt from afar. Before he could react, the tremor reached Myungho’s room in what felt like an instant.
“MYUNGHO!!! I’m coming in, wake up!!! Akashi has awakened!!! Oh, Alterra?! What are you doing?!”
—
I can’t describe how startled I was to find Alterra right in front of my face the moment I woke up. To top it off, the same characters swirling around her were also written on her stomach, nearly causing me to faint.
Perhaps the demon had taken over her body. Given her previous experience with her mother taking control, that seemed plausible.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t anything like that. Instead, the inscriptions only enhanced her attraction to ‘the one she loved.’
Apparently, Yuna interrupted before things escalated further. She seemed embarrassed too, avoiding eye contact with me ever since.
…Should I pretend to be crazy and draw over the tattoo on the back of my hand? If this is proof of a contract, covering it up might suffice. Anyway, I’ll ask Akashi privately when we meet.
Yuna, seemingly equally flustered, glanced at us sideways before quickly averting her gaze.
“…I apologize for interrupting, Alterra. Nevertheless, engaging in such activities here seems… uh… perhaps best avoided…”
Yuna clearly misunderstood, ignoring Alterra’s protests entirely. Twirling her golden hair suggested she had already envisioned us having children.
“Alright, let’s stop talking… So, how’s the white-haired one doing?”
“You mean Akashi? Uh… I’m not quite sure.”
“Not sure?”
“It’s faster to see for yourself. Fortunately, there are no impairments, but… uh…”
Alterra attempted to change the subject by bringing up Akashi, only to get caught up in it herself. When asked if it was alright to enter, Akashi’s voice invited us in.
“…Seeing for ourselves will be quicker. Akashi, I’m here. Alterra and Myungho are with me too.”
“So you are.”
Surprisingly, Akashi responded not with mockery, but with a single detached word, devoid of emotion. While it was certainly unusual, it could be due to just waking up, so I decided to probe further.
“…You’ve been lying there for a week. Alterra gave you some of her blood, and the priests healed you day and night to bring you back.”
“Is that so.”
…Is something really wrong? I asked Alterra if she had anything to say. She looked at me, clearly unsure what I meant.
“You ran off alone. You apologized to me, but not to Akashi. Considering everything, he suffered the most.”
Even Alterra, regardless of her usual self, couldn’t brazenly face someone injured because of her. Scratching her neck, she apologized to Akashi.
“I’m sorry for rushing in like that. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt. And, th-thank you…”
“Yes.”
I was certain. Something was definitely wrong.
—
Contrary to expectations, the half-dragon continued to pressure the front lines, but thanks to the subordinates risking their lives to hold them back, they didn’t pose a major threat.
Moreover, news came that the half-dragon had withdrawn from the battlefield three days ago, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
…In just one more day, it will be born.
Teaching it to grow and activate the device will likely take over two weeks, but if the front lines remain stable like this…
We can return home.
With my subordinates risking their lives, I can’t stay safe.
I should suggest to him if he could increase the time acceleration ratio a bit more.
Even if he claims it’s the limit, it isn’t truly so.
