Shadows Approaching at Night
Shadows Approaching at Night
Back at the inn were Kylon, the other heroines, and I.
In the second village, perhaps because stone was the main material, the buildings were mostly cold and heavy, a stark contrast to the cool or humid feel of the previous village.
And even the table I was sitting at was made of marble, which was truly surprising.
An inn that doubles as a restaurant, what a beautiful collaboration.
While an inn just doing its inn duties is perfectly fine, the thought of an inn that also served as a restaurant, meaning I wouldn't have to go out to find food, naturally lifted my spirits.
Since I couldn't properly taste food anyway, it was better to just fill my stomach nearby rather than going far.
In front of the clattering tableware, Kylon carefully opened his mouth.
With an expression that suggested he was speaking after much deliberation, everyone shifted their gaze to Kylon.
"Today, I'll sleep alone."
"Huh?"
"Kylon?"
Linda and Agnes were the ones who reacted audibly to those words.
Of course. Yesterday, since it was a tent, they couldn't both cling to him at the same time. They must have been eagerly anticipating this day to finally sleep with Kylon, so hearing him suddenly say he'd sleep alone...
Thinking that no matter what happened, the fact that Flora would be sharing a room with me wouldn't change, I picked up a biscuit and munched on it.
Putting the crunchy biscuit in my mouth to fill my stomach, I glanced at Flora and saw that her gaze was fixed intently on Kylon.
Her pink eyes stared at Kylon for a long time, then Flora's mouth finally opened.
As if to stop Linda or Agnes from stepping forward to restrain or persuade Kylon.
"Yeah, you can't just be fucking around every day, can you?"
This could be seen as a sarcastic remark, aimed at Linda and Agnes who were trying to time their 'fucking around' while forgetting the true nature of this party, and even more so, at Kylon who embraced them without pushing them away.
Her voice was cold, and her words were sharp.
Because of that, Linda's movements, as she tried to cling to Kylon's sides, froze, and Agnes's mouth stopped as if pierced by something.
Feeling uncomfortable with this chilling atmosphere that had settled, separate from the surrounding commotion, I glanced at Kylon, following Flora's gaze.
From her perspective, that is, from the viewpoint of an ordinary person unaware of the Hero's circumstances, her words were a hundred percent correct.
However, considering Kylon's characteristics, no matter how right her words were, I couldn't simply nod in agreement.
If Kylon wanted to take some personal rest, well, that was something I hoped for.
Unlike women, men need to conserve some of what they release, and since they expend more stamina than women, they also need time to recuperate their tired bodies.
But that meant he needed time to rest, not that he had to push away other women in this situation.
Therefore, I couldn't agree with Flora's words, which were currently scolding Linda and Agnes.
It sounded like she was saying this party wasn't made for sex, but in reality, Kylon *did* create this party for sex.
Because Kylon grows stronger through sex, and through the conditioning and satisfaction of each heroine, it couldn't be helped. If it merely ended with strengthening the Holy Sword, then it would be the weapon that was strong, not the Hero.
Still, if Kylon had brought it up, I should at least listen, so I turned my gaze back to the plate of biscuits in front of me.
"My body is a bit tired, so I think I need to rest a little."
"Ugh... so we can't even do our conditioning then."
"...It can't be helped if Kylon is tired."
"Sorry, I wish my body could have held out a little longer."
"No, it's fine. I just want Kylon to be healthy."
Agnes nodded at Kylon's words in a soft tone, exuding a mature aura.
It's strange. Just moments ago, she was calling Kylon's name, desperate for sex, but after hearing his reason, she must have found it valid, to answer like that so readily.
More than that, Linda also seemed to have accepted it surprisingly quickly.
Even if she wasn't fully a masochist yet, what could she do if her future Juinnim said he wouldn't?
Training, my ass. Lately, it seems like she's shaken her hips more times against Kylon than she's swung her fists, so what on earth is she thinking saying something like that?
Putting aside my bewilderment, I crunched a biscuit into my mouth and watched them chatter.
I felt like an outsider somehow.
Indeed, this didn't seem like something that could be called a party either.
*
Time to sleep. As I got into bed, still in the comfortable clothes I'd worn to the Black Market with Kylon, the rustling, cool touch of the fabric welcomed me.
For a moment, with the sudden rush of coolness, I shivered and then pulled the blanket up to my chest to warm myself again.
If I had been alone with Linda, I would have faced all sorts of scrutiny, and if I had been alone with Agnes, I might have had to offer encouragement, listen to her worries, or even received suspicious glances if there was anything she doubted.
In comparison, being alone with Flora could be said to be comfortable.
Because she speaks as if it doesn't really matter unless it concerns Kylon.
Even her proud, sarcastic voice, or her voice that seemed to pierce weaknesses, quickly cooled down if it wasn't directed at Kylon.
Considering that, I could say that this moment of silence was more comfortable for my mind.
Sighing deeply, I raised my left arm high into the air and quietly gazed at the Rosary on my wrist.
They called this a Rosario, didn't they? As I quietly looked at the Rosary, made of good beads and imbued with the prayers of Jugyos, I felt a sense of peace.
Though I wasn't a believer.
Now, perhaps I need to become a believer to gain strength.
Indeed, becoming a bystander without doing anything only left me feeling helpless, with only a sense of alienation and loneliness.
Because even if I holed myself up alone in a safe place, it wouldn't be enjoyable at all.
With such thoughts, I weakly dropped my raised arm and closed my eyes.
Let's just sleep. Tomorrow, when we depart for the next village, there will surely be a time to speak.
*
My eyes suddenly opened.
The moment my ears twitched, I heard the creak of a door opening.
What I saw when I opened my eyes was a dark ceiling, indicating that it was still night.
Was there anyone who would enter this room at this hour? Had Flora gone to the bathroom or something? With that thought, I subtly turned my head and looked beside me.
But Flora was sleeping soundly in her bed, so I realized that the sound of the door opening and closing just now hadn't been made by Flora.
As footsteps, muffled and quiet, approached me, I swallowed hard and clenched my hands tightly.
I was about to lament having entrusted all my weapons to Kylon just to change clothes, when a thought suddenly struck me.
If it's a suspicious person, I can just wake Flora, right?
The party composition was more reliable than I thought, so there was no need for me to tremble like this.
Once I had composed myself, I opened my parched mouth towards the dark shadow in my barely visible surroundings.
"...Who is it?"
"Oh, you're awake?"
And the shadow replied thus.
The owner of that voice was none other than Kylon.
Why did Kylon come here at this hour? That's strange. Could it be that the reason he didn't sleep with Linda and Agnes was because of Flora?
He hasn't even fully 'conquered' Linda and Agnes yet, so why is he starting with Flora?
What a strange guy.
"...Why are you trying to do it already? Do you want to try using *that*?"
Well, I suppose that could be the case.
He had just bought the item, and it's human nature to want to check if it works well or not.
If it worked properly this way, then he could just buy more when he wanted to.
When I asked Kylon in a hushed whisper, he remained silent and didn't answer easily.
Did he have some other intention?
Since I couldn't easily understand Kylon's feelings, I was just frustrated, but still, he'd probably handle it well on his own. Kylon was the one who cleared the game, and he's also the protagonist of the game, isn't he?
Therefore, if I spoke too much, it would only make things awkward, so I kept my mouth shut.
"Flora is in that bed over there."
Having once had a bitter experience after cursing him out for pushing the heroines to conquer them quickly, I wiggled my finger.
Watching Flora still sleeping soundly, I even thought she was too carefree.
Thinking that if she was such a light sleeper at night, she'd have some trouble in the future, I let out a sigh.
"Oh, do you want to come to my room for a moment?"
"......?"
"It's fine."
What? Wasn't he here for Flora?
At Kylon's sudden action of pulling me out, I furrowed my brow.
What if Flora woke up midway through this? I thought, but Kylon just kept saying it was fine, not to worry, and told me to follow him to his room.
I simply couldn't understand Kylon's thoughts at all.