Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: To Take Responsibility
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“Ra, Rafne…? Calm down first and hear me out, will you?”
“Hear what? Do we have anything to talk about right now?”
Rafne, breathing roughly, laid me down on the bed and climbed on top of me assertively.
My heart pounded like a rabbit caught by a beast.
Was this the fear of death, or some other kind of terror?
Rafne's vacant eyes, cheeks flushed red, gazed down at me.
Right after returning to the tower.
Rafne locked the door and said,
“Stay the night today, Ken.”
Oh? If I'm staying over, why lock the door?
There are only two reasons to lock a door.
To keep something out.
Or to keep something in.
In this case, it's the latter.
“Rafne! We agreed no more confining me!”
Having been through this once before, I immediately went on guard and shouted at her.
But Rafne shook her head and smiled.
“Yeah, this isn't confinement. I trust you now, Ken… I just mean stay the night.”
Her expression didn't look like one that just wanted me to sleep over.
It had clearly been excitement from testing her new skill just moments ago.
Now, my heart raced for a different reason.
And now, time had passed to the present.
I lay on the bed, my hands bound by Rafne's grip.
For reference, right after locking the door, Rafne had stripped off her clothes and was now only in dress-like underwear.
Why was she acting so bold today of all days?
The reason came to mind clearly.
It was what happened at the mansion.
'A, at least a kiss would've been fine!'
I recalled Rafne's face, eyes brimming with grievance as she said that to me.
And the Rafne on top of me now seemed to remember it too, looking down at me with the same hurt expression.
Then she lay her body fully on mine, pressing close.
—Splat.
Her ample chest pressed against me, delivering an incredible bounce and soft sensation.
As our bodies drew near, her hot body heat and scent stimulated all my senses.
Rafne, cheeks flushed, gazed at me cautiously and finally broke the silence she'd been holding.
“…Ken, …don't you think I'm pretty?”
“Y-Yeah, you're pretty.”
What was there to say? Rafne was my ideal type physically. If she asked ten times, I'd say pretty eleven times.
“Then… am I not attractive?”
“No…”
Honestly, her personality was a bit too clingy at times.
But lately, since lifting the curse, that had quieted down a little.
And above all, the way she treated me kindly made her an alluring woman.
Not satisfied with my honest answer, Rafne puffed out her cheeks.
“…Then why don't you touch me?”
“……”
“I know. Men all have strong libidos, right? …But even when you do this, Ken, you never go beyond a kiss.”
Her bold words.
I'd heard them before, when she confined me not long ago.
Her confession that she liked me as a man.
After that, I'd tried not to think about it, but whenever she demanded something like this, memories of that day resurfaced.
The sensual atmosphere, our heated contact with Rafne.
I hadn't demanded more, so we never crossed the line beyond kissing.
But deep down, she hoped we would, often tempting me.
Like now.
“At the mansion, you could've done anything if you wanted to.”
“……”
“So why didn't you do anything?”
I couldn't answer.
I just clamped my mouth shut, cheeks burning, avoiding her eyes.
It wasn't that I disliked Rafne. Quite the opposite.
Her gaze alone stimulated me so much that I might lose control if I wasn't careful.
Rafne was a dangerously tempting woman.
But she misinterpreted my reaction, tears welling up as she looked about to cry.
“See… Sniff, I really am unattractive, aren't I…?”
“H-Hey? Rafne?”
“To you, Ken, I'm not even a woman, right? …I know. A bothersome girl like me couldn't be attractive.”
“That's not it. I just…”
“If that's not it, then why won't you do anything? I know you're kind, Ken. …That's why you can't say it straight.”
Finally, teardrops fell from Rafne's tear-filled face onto mine.
This might have been the moment all the worries she'd bottled up inside burst out.
“Still… Sniff, I thought you'd see me as a woman at least once. …I mustered my courage.”
“Ra, Rafne…”
“What do I have to do now? To become the woman you want, what exactly should I do? I'll do anything. I told you that… So tell me.”
“Th-That's…”
“…I want you to love me, Ken.”
Rafne, tears streaming down, buried her face in my chest.
The seductive mood from moments ago turned into her sobbing sounds.
The strength drained from her hand gripping mine.
Eventually, she let go and clutched my clothes, crying.
“…That's not it, Rafne.”
What the hell was I doing?
Why had I stayed silent until this girl who liked me so much was in tears?
I wrapped my arms around her trembling shoulders and hugged her.
“…Truth is, if I say it honestly.”
“……”
“It's nothing like what you think. …It's the complete opposite.”
Her sobbing tremors stopped at my words, and her tear-streaked face looked up at me cautiously.
Feeling embarrassed under that gaze, I averted my eyes and continued.
“To me, Rafne, you're… too attractive of a woman. …That's why I couldn't carelessly cross the line.”
“What… does that mean?”
It was surely what she wanted to hear, yet she asked again.
Did she really not understand, or did she want to hear it more clearly?
“I mean… if we went beyond kissing.”
I covered my eyes with my now-freed hands and confessed my inner thoughts.
“…I might go all the way. …That's why.”
“……”
I couldn't see her face with my eyes covered. I just couldn't look at her.
I'd just declared it.
If we went beyond kissing, I'd devour her.
A brief silence followed my words, so I cautiously removed my hands and looked at her.
Rafne stared at me blankly.
Tears still lingered, but she wasn't crying anymore.
Just a quiet stillness, as if chewing over my words.
Then Rafne spoke softly.
“…Then, …you want to do it with me?”
Her straightforward question.
Normally I'd dodge it, but not now.
I nodded carefully.
“…Yeah.”
“Then why don't you?”
A natural question.
If I wanted it and she did too, no one would complain.
“Not yet, …because I can't take responsibility right now.”
I revealed the thoughts I'd kept hidden in my heart.
Rafne wouldn't know.
Someday, the demon race would start a war.
I didn't know what would happen to me in that war.
I was building strength and preparing to survive, but the future was uncertain.
In the midst of that, taking her purity just for momentary desire?
I couldn't do it.
If I ended up dying, I couldn't take responsibility.
I couldn't explain everything, but I summarized as best I could and answered her.
“Then, when you can take responsibility… it’ll be okay?”
A simple conclusion.
But an important question, so this time I met Rafne's eyes directly and answered.
“Yes. When I can take responsibility… I won't hold back.”
As if asking if I could hold back.
I'm not idiot enough to let an attractive woman like this slip away right in front of me.
“Ken…!”
Satisfied with my resolute answer, Rafne wrapped her arms around my neck.
She sobbed a little like before, but those weren't tears of sadness.
“Thank you… Then I'll wait. …Sniff, I'll wait until you're ready, Ken.”
Saying that, Rafne buried her face in my neck.
And I gently stroked her hair.
Words already spoken.
Someday, I'd have to take responsibility for sure.
Conveniently, I'd just sorted out my thoughts on how to do that.
“But we'll sleep together tonight, right?”
“……Just don't tempt me too much.”
“Yeah, I love you so much, Ken.”
Ignoring my plea or not, Rafne hugged me tightly.
Her soft sensation made it a tough night holding back my male instincts once more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Adrian, I need to talk to you.”
The next day.
After class ended, I approached him as he prepared to leave and spoke.
“Huh? Ken, what's up?”
Emily, beside him, asked, so I answered carefully.
“Something important. I want to talk alone for a bit.”
Sensing the seriousness from my face, Emily seemed to realize it was no small matter and nodded without pressing further.
“…Okay, but if it's something big, tell me too.”
“I will. See you tomorrow.”
After Emily packed her things and left the classroom, the noisy room fell quiet, leaving just Adrian and me.
Feeling the importance from the conversation with Emily just now, Adrian asked with a serious face instead of his usual smile.
“So, what is it, Ken? Making time just for us.”
“You probably know what it's about.”
“……About Rafne.”
There was only one important topic between him and me.
The child of prophecy.
“You might not know, but there was another demon army raid recently.”
“The time you died?”
“You knew?”
“I'm not just a figurehead here.”
That made things quicker.
“Who knows how many more times the demon army will infiltrate.”
“Yeah.”
“Since I lifted Rafne's curse, she might face something from the demon army too.”
“Don't you already know that well? I warned you plenty. That it would happen.”
He glared a little.
Maybe he thought I caused trouble and now wanted his help.
But no.
When I gave Rafne the pendant at the mansion, I'd resolved myself.
No matter what happened, I'd protect her.
But resolve and reality differ.
I had game knowledge and understood the demon army raid patterns well.
But unlike the game, Rafne had now left the tower—a new variable.
The demon army's response might differ from the game too.
I couldn't rely on my knowledge forever.
That's why I'd been pondering that lately.
About the cause of the demon army raiding the academy and eventually starting a war.
“So, here's the thing… I want to erase the fact that Rafne is the child of prophecy.”
I confided in him—the only one who knew Rafne's secret—about the plan I'd solidified through the mansion test.
Adrian froze for a moment upon hearing it, then rarely scowled.
“Erase the fact that she's the child of prophecy? What nonsense is that? …Impossible.”
His voice sank heavily.
If it were possible, he'd have done it himself.
Probably more than anyone in this kingdom, he'd agonized over a solution.
With no answer, he'd confined Rafne to the tower.
But.
I'd found the answer.
“I'm going to challenge Tarros's Tower.”
To another inescapable labyrinth that cannot be cleared, I issue my challenge.