Already Tamed Into a Body That Can't Live Without Me?
Blood splattered across the floor as the severed hand rolled away. But even amid that shocking sight, Rita's expression didn't change a bit.
"Spare me, please…! I was wrong! Really…!"
"If you're begging for forgiveness, you should do it to the young lady."
Rita picked up the left hand and continued. "But that's not the attitude of someone begging for forgiveness. Should I cut off your left hand too to knock some sense into you?"
"No! I'm sorry…! I've committed a grave sin! So please…."
The hunter whose hand had been severed crawled toward me on one arm, pleading. They were clearly the ones in the wrong, but the brutality of the scene left me feeling more uneasy than satisfied. Just as I was about to forgive them and leave,
Rita stepped in front of me and turned her gaze to the other hunters. "What about the rest of you? Shall we continue?"
Looking where Rita was staring, I saw the hunters gripping their weapons.
"It might be fun to keep going. Honestly, besides this one I cut as an example, plenty of you insulted the young lady."
Her blood-smeared sword pointed toward the hunters. Shring—the chilling sound echoed through the room. At that single noise, the hunters who had been moving froze solid.
"You looked down on her for being a woman, but now that a maid has drawn her sword, you're tucking tail."
Rita smiled with quiet killing intent. "Be grateful to the young lady. If she hadn't stopped me, this place would already be a sea of blood."
Color drained from the hunters' faces. Rita's skill was undeniably superior—no one could argue otherwise. Everyone in the room could feel she could cut them all down, and fear gripped them.
"Young lady."
Rita turned back to me. Her sword was sheathed, but her hand rested on the hilt, ready to strike at any moment. "What shall we do? End it here?"
"…Let's stop. It's not exactly a pleasant sight."
"If that's what you say, young lady."
Rita nodded quietly and removed her hand from the hilt. But her gaze remained sharp.
"That said, I've given them a warning. If this happens again, it should be fine to cut them down without permission, right?"
It was a warning laced with sincerity. The example had been made clear enough…. If it happened again, I'd let Rita handle it. People who repeated mistakes despite knowing better just didn't get it.
"…Yeah. Make sure there's no next time."
"I'll handle it as you command."
Rita smiled faintly in satisfaction at my words, while the surrounding hunters bowed their heads in silence.
"…Um, preparations are all complete."
Wanting to escape the awkward situation, I was about to leave when a staff member approached cautiously with an awkward expression. It was obvious they'd witnessed everything— their body was stiff as a board.
"The mission briefing is done, and headquarters has prepared the carriage separately. It'll take about half a day to reach the mine."
"…Got it."
I replied curtly and let out a heavy breath. Behind me, Rita quietly wiped the blood from her sword with a cloth and came to my side.
"This way, please."
The staff led us down the corridor. Over their shoulder, I could see the hunters' gazes—still sharp and tangled with complexity. Fear, disgust, and a hint of awe. Amid all those stares, I walked slowly alongside Rita without a word.
Rita whispered softly at my side. "Don't mind them. Those who run their mouths carelessly always pay a price eventually. I just sped it up a little."
"Yeah. You did well."
As we continued down the corridor, a sturdy ironclad carriage came into view at the end. It looked solid at a glance. The staff opened the door and said,
"We'll take you straight to the mine in this carriage. There's a rest spot along the way, so let us know if you need anything."
"Got it."
"Wishing you a successful hunt."
As the carriage rattled along, the scenery outside gradually shifted to dense forest. Sunlight filtering through the leaves dimmed more and more.
"……."
I stared out the window in silence. The bloody scene from earlier still lingered in my mind.
"…Does it bother you?"
Rita, seated beside me, asked carefully. Unlike before, her voice now held a gentle softness.
"…A little. No matter how rude they were, was cutting off a hand really necessary?"
"They insulted you, young lady—a noble, no less."
Rita gently took my hand and continued. "If we don't make them pay properly, more scum would keep looking down on you."
"……."
"I stepped in first to prevent that…. But if it made you uncomfortable, I'm sorry."
Honestly, I had nothing more to say. What she did was for my sake. And now she was apologizing because I felt uneasy—what could I add? If anything, I should be grateful.
"…Still, avoid conflicts as much as possible. What if everyone had rushed you?"
Rita stayed quiet for a long moment, then bowed her head slightly. "…I did consider that possibility."
"Then you need to be more careful. If you get hurt protecting me, how am I supposed to go on?"
At my words, Rita tightened her grip on my hand ever so slightly. Then, in a tiny whisper, she said,
"Have you already been tamed into a body that can't live without me?"
My face flushed hot. "Th-that's not what I meant…!"
"I'm kidding. But as I said, I love you, young lady. How could I stand by while trash talks you?"
Rita smiled brightly and went on. "I'd turn my back on the world for you."
She said it casually, but the moment those words reached my ears,
Thump.
My heart pounded hard. A sharp ache stung in the center of my chest, and a strange itchiness spread through my body. I tried to take a deep breath, but it felt like my throat was closing up. Still, I turned to the window, pretending nothing was wrong. Calmly, as if all was normal.
"Don't… say stuff like that anywhere, anytime. People might misunderstand."
"What's wrong with that? I'm serious."
Rita's face turned playful. But I knew—even her teasing words always carried truth.
Thump. Thump.
My heart started racing oddly. My cheeks burned so hot I could feel the heat rising.
"Young lady. Your face… it's a little red right now."
"It's not."
"Then my eyes must be playing tricks. Maybe because I only see such a beautiful lady?"
"……Rita."
"Yes, young lady?"
"Be quiet."
"Understood."
Rita fell silent, but a smile lingered on her lips. My heart showed no sign of settling at that smile. Like it was broken.
All sorts of thoughts swirled in my head. Was Birellia's power already starting to manifest? No, that can't be.
We were still way out of range, and if it had activated, there'd be some extreme symptom along with it. Not just my heart going wild like this.
A heart attack, then? No, that wasn't possible either. I'd been blessed since birth—no diseases for this body.
Then why? Why did my breath catch like this? Why did something boil deep in my chest?
"……."
I glanced at Rita. Sunlight streamed through the window, passing between the trees into the carriage. Some of it settled thinly over her blue eyes.
At the same time.
It was like time stopped. The cruelty of wielding a bloodied sword, able to cut down a person without a second thought. And the tenderness of smiling casually while holding my hand. The fact that both existed in one person… strangely, I couldn't look away.
Could it be….
Slap! I smacked my cheek to snap out of it. No matter how cool she looked, feeling attracted to the woman who'd fucked me like a dog? Insane. The moment I thought that, a line from an old book popped into my head.
The scariest thing in the world is getting used to it…!
That saying wasn't wrong at all. Honestly, thinking about our time in the cabin without Rita… there wasn't any. She'd be by my side even while eating, under the excuse of watching me enjoy it. Changing clothes? She'd insist on helping. Sleeping? We'd fuck and drift off in each other's arms.
Back at the mansion, it felt normal, routine. But alone together, it was… different somehow. Somehow….
"Fuck."
"What's wrong all of a sudden, young lady?"
Rita tilted her head, oblivious.
"Nothing… just, a bad thought crossed my mind."
"There's a way to erase it, if you want to hear?"
"What?"
Rita made a circle with her right thumb and index finger, then slipped one of her left fingers through it.
"Sloppy, affectionate, sincere pussy-fucking sex."
"Aaaah! Shut up!"
I resolved then and there. This feeling I'd just noticed—I'd hide it from Rita. Until the day my life ended. No matter what.
