The Sweet Scent Lingering in My Mouth
The Sweet Scent Lingering in My Mouth
Thus, morning arrived.
Linda, who knew how to distinguish between poisonous and edible mushrooms, went into the forest path and picked some mushrooms, while Agnes, with Flora's support magic, caught a few birds with her Rapier.
I couldn't understand what kind of magic she received or what kind of movements she made to catch birds, but don't they say that people speak through results?
Seeing Agnes immediately bring back a few birds with holes blown through them, bleeding profusely, I couldn't help but believe it.
Everyone seemed to be looking forward to Kylon's cooking skills again, but I was the only one who couldn't anticipate the meal.
After plucking all the bird's feathers, washing, and preparing it, a dish stir-fried with vegetables, mushrooms, and spices was served. However, while I was stimulated by its aroma, I couldn't taste it, so I just blankly inhaled its scent.
Holding the plate and savoring the rising aroma, slowly moving my head from side to side, Kylon must have noticed that I wasn't eating, and he encouraged me to eat.
"...Saintess-nim? Please eat."
"Ah, yes, thank you."
Replying to Kylon, I briefly set the plate down in front of him, said a pre-meal prayer, then carefully picked up the plate again and poked at the food with my fork.
Perhaps because the meat had undergone a tenderizing process, it had a soft, chewable texture without feeling tough or dry. However, that didn't mean I could taste the spices stir-fried with it, so I was merely experiencing the texture.
As I furrowed my Glabellum, wondering if a day would come when I'd find even chewing rubber delicious, an inexplicable sense of loss washed over me.
It was the same meal as usual, and I was the same person who had lost her sense of taste, yet I didn't know why this sense of loss felt so profound. I quietly picked up a crunchy vegetable with my fork and put it in my mouth.
Asak.
Asak.
The sound, the texture in my mouth, but the taste that wasn't there, followed by another wave of loss.
Wondering what the reason for this sense of loss was, I spaced out for a moment before recalling that the sweetness I felt yesterday was the cause. But where did that sweetness come from?
Meaninglessly, I put food into my mouth merely for the sake of nutritional replenishment, repeating the chewing motion, while my thoughts drifted back to yesterday, recalling everything I had put in my mouth then, one by one.
Food, Stamina Potion, and then more food. And at the end of it, the time I tasted a strong flavor was last night... after Kylon's handjob... after putting semen in my mouth?
I found the answer at the end of my thoughts, but all I felt was that I shouldn't have found it, and I let out a sigh. I also thought, "Why on earth?" and was so dumbfounded that a sigh almost escaped me, causing my Glabellum to furrow involuntarily.
Since there were many people around, I relaxed my expression again, but I didn't know what to call this feeling, so I just swallowed a groan and stopped my slow fork movements.
"...Aren't you eating?"
As I sat still, Kylon's voice from beside me stirred me.
I was already feeling unpleasant thinking about the taste of Kylon's semen, so when Kylon spoke to me, I almost reacted sensitively without realizing it. But I barely held back and just replied with a bitter smile.
"Haha... I don't seem to have much appetite this morning."
As I tried to brush it off, Linda, right beside me, called out to Kylon as if even his voice was too precious to be directed at me.
"Kylon! Isn't this delicious? These are mushrooms I just picked, the kind I usually eat..."
Kylon was flustered by Linda's sudden mushroom lecture, but soon gave in to her appeal to look at her, and eventually had to avert his gaze from me.
Thus, I was once again part of the party, yet I sat alone in a spot where no one's gaze fell upon me, repeatedly mumbling to myself. Finally, I put a mushroom in my mouth, mumbled, then swallowed what was in my mouth and stopped eating. After all, no matter how much I ate, it would only fill my stomach, not my mood.
In truth, eating a meal based solely on texture without taste was quite challenging. Even if I ate because I could faintly perceive some taste, without a strong flavor, I simply couldn't find enjoyment in eating.
And so, breakfast ended blandly, just like before. However, unlike before, the sense of loss had grown.
I sighed at the absurd situation of having tasted a strong sweetness, unlike anything I'd ever experienced from any food, from Kylon's semen. Soon, a growing regret emerged: how wonderful it would have been if that sweetness had come from other food.
"...Thank you for our daily bread."
After the post-meal prayer, the party once again steadily walked towards the Holy Kingdom.
*
As time passed and they arrived at the Holy Kingdom, Kylon let out a deep sigh, indicating that he was just as exhausted. To be honest, it felt like a disaster where the distance had increased due to the game's time flowing too quickly, but the important thing was that they had somehow made it.
Upon their arrival, Kylon cautiously looked around at the Heroines.
"Alright, those who have things to do or things to retrieve, get ready, and let's meet here after tomorrow morning."
The first to react to his words was Flora, who had just passed the city walls and noticed that the Magic Tower was nearby.
"Then I'll go to the Magic Tower. I want to get a new robe or something."
"Okay, then what about Agnes and Linda?"
Kylon nodded at Flora's words, sent her off, then looked at Agnes and Linda in turn. Agnes then let out a hum, scanned the area where her residence was, and mumbled.
"I don't really need anything. If I happen to reach my family's mansion while wandering through the town, I can just retrieve the Rapier that's been passed down as a family heirloom there."
"Me too! This is the best for me!"
There was Agnes, asserting that she didn't need anything else here, and Linda, who was either feeling awkward about Kylon sending her off with Agnes, or genuinely proclaiming that the Knuckle Kylon bought her was the best.
Could she be trying to curry favor with Kylon with that? Well, if they've gotten that close, I'd welcome it.
Thus, only Flora temporarily separated from the party. Still, it was normal for Flora to be indifferent or give cold reactions, as her Favorability Score towards the Hero hadn't risen much yet. Even so, she occasionally showed tsundere-like reactions, perhaps because she had a basic Favorability Score.
After confirming the status of his companions, Kylon nodded once and then opened his mouth.
"Alright, first, let's find an inn here... I think I need to visit that Cathedral over there, and since I also need to go to the Convent, I suppose I'll have to go with Veronica."
"Ugh, Kylon, was that where you had business...?"
As Kylon began to mention where he was going, Linda made a disgusted face, as if it would be difficult for her to go there.
Even though it was the Holy Kingdom, not everyone was a believer. As someone skilled in martial arts, she seemed to believe more in her own efforts than in God, which likely explained her reaction.
Leaving Linda behind, Agnes cautiously opened her mouth.
"...If there were someone from my family, I could help. What do you think?"
Her words also meant that if her help was needed, she would look for a family member in the Holy Kingdom. Kylon, hearing this, hummed and then nodded.
"Then I'd like to take advantage of Agnes's help, but it's a bit much to go alone, so Linda, please go with her."
"Hmm... well, it's true that going alone is a bit... much..."
At Kylon's words, Linda slumped her shoulders as if she had no choice, mumbled, and agreed to follow. Agnes, hearing this, smiled lightly and looked at Linda.
"Thank you, I'll rely on you for a bit."
"Well, it'll be safer with me around."
Watching them, I wondered if that was camaraderie. Or perhaps they were just happy to hear Kylon's words.
I didn't know for sure, but I didn't want to delve deeper and see the reality, so I just silently followed Kylon. Because if he said so, he would surely keep taking me with him.
The current me, with my abilities gone, would surely become an ordinary person who would bleed profusely from even a scratch, with wounds that wouldn't heal.
What Kylon had promised to do for me at this Convent was to give me a regular black Nun's Habit. So, while it seemed he was visiting the Convent, the fact that he was also stopping by the unrelated Cathedral made me think there might be some other reason for visiting the Convent as well.
After agreeing to act separately and splitting up, I checked my surroundings, confirmed no one was there, and then cautiously spoke.
"...You shouldn't cause a ruckus like I told you before... right?"
Surely he wouldn't kick out another Heroine by acting like a jerk here, would he? That fear, mixed with a needless sense of worry, made me think it would be better to say it one more time. So when I opened my mouth to him, he told me in a tone that suggested he knew well, as if it pained him to say it.
"Alright, alright. I'm just going to check and come back, really."
Yes, even if Kylon is a sex-crazed bastard, he's still faithful to his role, so there shouldn't be any major problems. Thinking that, I followed behind Kylon.