Traces of Each Other (3)
Traces of Each Other (3)
Early morning.
"...Mm."
Claire's eyelids trembled gently.
Before long, slightly unfocused blue eyes revealed themselves.
Blurred vision.
A languid body and a stiff lower back.
And a throbbing lower belly with a sore inner thigh.
"......."
Still looking half-asleep, she carefully lifted her head.
There, with a peaceful expression and closed eyes, was Baek Woo-jin's face.
Blink, blink.
Claire blankly stared at Baek Woo-jin's face and blinked a few times. Then she stealthily buried her face against his chest.
Breathing in his scent, which made her already pounding heart flutter even more, Claire tightened her arms around his waist, trying to hold onto the warmth of his whole body and the sensation of their skin touching.
'...It wasn't a dream.'
His breath touching the top of her head.
The thumping of his heart.
The distinct texture of muscles felt through the skin of their intertwined arms and legs.
Everything was telling her that last night had been real.
Whoosh—!!
Claire's face, which had been settling into a languid, happy expression with her eyes closed, blazed bright red.
Her hazy consciousness gradually cleared, and the memories from the day before surfaced with growing clarity.
After he had held her as though pressing her down, she'd been too busy gasping for air.
The image of herself clinging to him, begging him to wait, saying her mind was strange, crying pitifully—all of it came flooding back vividly.
They had faced each other, at times she had been on all fours like an animal, and she had straddled him, moving her hips as he guided her.
'...I could just die.'
At the unbearable embarrassment, a crimson bloom spread across Claire's face.
Yet, contrary to the shame trembling inside her, her body was gradually heating up.
The intense pleasure, which seemed to reject the entire life she'd lived until now, was causing a profound change in Claire's mind and body.
"Ah......."
Claire, who had been rubbing her thighs stained with the marks of love, lifted her head.
'Training.......'
She didn't want to leave his embrace for even a second, but that would be far too greedy.
Claire carefully wriggled her body, racking her brain over how to slip out of his arms without waking Baek Woo-jin.
Poke—
Something that wasn't part of her own body touched her lower belly.
Unlike the day before, it was very soft and squishy, but it was unmistakably the very thing that had tormented her without pause.
Claire swallowed dryly.
She knew she had to get off the bed and start preparing, but her body wouldn't obey.
Urging her increasingly rapid heartbeat, she carefully moved the hand she had wrapped around his waist lower. And just as she was about to slip it into the gap where they touched—
"...You're up early."
"@#^!&!&"
At the voice of the man she adored—the voice she longed to hear, but absolutely did not want to hear right now—Claire let out an utterly unintelligible jumble of sounds and gave a start.
"You'll fall."
"Ah, uu, ooh......."
A firm forearm wrapped around her waist.
Unable to offer any resistance, Claire was pulled back into Baek Woo-jin's arms by that arm.
"Your body."
"I-I'm finnne......!!"
Having bitten her tongue, she hid her face against Baek Woo-jin's chest.
A wave of mortification washed over her, enough that she'd rather bite her tongue and die right there.
Slide.
Just then, the arm that had been supporting Claire's head in place of a pillow moved, gently lifting her chin.
Before the flustered Claire could react, Baek Woo-jin's lips softly overlapped with hers.
Not deep, merely a greeting.
As his presence seeped into her, the sting in her tongue faded away.
It was an exceedingly gentle and tender kiss, unlike the ones from the day before.
"Calmed down?"
"......Yes."
A lie.
Far from calm, she felt like her heart might burst and kill her on the spot.
"Is that so. I was going to do it once more if it wasn't enough."
"Ah......!!"
At his somewhat playful answer, Claire's eyes flew wide open and her lips fluttered.
"What is it."
"...You're being mean."
Claire turned her head away, pushing out her lips in a slight pout.
A faint smile drew itself across Baek Woo-jin's lips.
Slide.
"P-Professor...?"
When he suddenly gathered her into his arms and rose from the bed, Claire's eyes rounded and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Claire."
"...Woo-jin."
The moment she met his faintly glowing golden eyes, yesterday's events rushed back and Claire felt her cheeks flush even redder.
Even though she had called his name so many times in bed, it still made her heart flutter with shyness.
"When we're alone, call me that from now on."
"......Yes."
Quietly held in Baek Woo-jin's arms, Claire entered the bathroom.
**
"Then... I'll see you at the residence."
Tucking the hair he had personally fixed behind her ear, Claire left the room.
With each step she took, her lower body throbbed and stung. Even though it was something she could easily heal with holy power, she didn't.
He had seemed not particularly pleased about this pain, but Claire regarded it as yet another one of the marks Baek Woo-jin had left on her.
"Ufufufu~"
"......."
As soon as she descended the stairs, the sly laughter of Lee Ye-sol came from beside her, and Claire hurriedly hardened her expression.
"Executor."
"...What is it."
Claire headed for the door as she tossed out a curt reply.
Watching her superior's retreating figure, Lee Ye-sol spoke.
"I've reassigned all the holy knights and priests to night watch."
"......."
Claire's footsteps grew even faster.
"And I shall have the bedroom door replaced with one engraved with a soundproofing seal."
Crunch—!!
The temple's door, thick beyond measure, was crushed to splinters.
**
A short while after Claire had gone.
【Ufufufu~】
That goddamn annoying nuisance manifested.
Without warning, the fellow appeared, sat himself on the bed with an infuriating smile, and simply laughed without any real conversation.
"...If you have nothing to say, get lost."
Because my body's recovery had slowed from yesterday, I needed to pull myself together somewhat before I could face Baek Ha-na. Naturally, that required concentration, and this bastard in front of me was one of the greatest factors disrupting it—no less.
【Such harsh words! Taking a man's precious daughter's purity and then acting like this, you scoundrel!!】
"...Ha."
I didn't even find it worth a response.
Perhaps displeased with my reaction, the fellow puffed out his cheeks and hopped right onto the bed.
【What kind of reaction is that!!】
"...Noisy."
Yesterday, the pain had been dulled because Claire was by my side, but after she left, the damaged parts of my body began to ache little by little. Thanks to that, every time the fellow yelled, my head rang and irritation surged.
"If you don't have a specific matter, disappear. Right now I'm in no condition to play along with your nonsense...."
【Hmph!!】
Whoosh——!!
Holy power burst from the fellow's body and instantly filled the entire room. And I had experienced this phenomenon once before.
In the not-so-distant past.
When this one had revealed his true form, he had also emitted strong holy power like this. However.
【How's this!! This should do, right?】
Far from getting bigger, the fellow had shrunk to the size of my palm.
I frowned down at the fellow who had been reduced to fairy-size.
Breathing became much easier, and the pain in my insides, which had felt like they were about to rupture, subsided considerably. Most of all, the greatest relief was that my head, which had been ringing as if the world were turning upside down, stopped ringing.
"...Just state your business."
What did he want, to consume pure faith to heal my body?
Since this level of help was as good as buying me about three more days, I couldn't keep driving him away. The fellow and I were linked in a give-and-take relationship, after all.
【Heave-ho!!】
There was no need for such exertion, but the fellow moved with exaggerated motion and climbed onto my shoulder. And then, pressing against my cheek, he spoke.
【Actually, there's no special reason. Teasing Claire is more fun than teasing you!!】
"...Then get lost."
【A beast without blood or tears... sniffle....】
I deliberately didn't react.
If my head had been ringing, I might have, but otherwise there was no reason to get angry at his behavior.
Perhaps he'd expected that reaction from me, because he quickly turned his attention elsewhere.
【Are you not going to erase this?】
The long scar engraved on my back.
If someone saw it, they'd mistake it for a wound from a beast's attack—it was that long and deep a mark.
"That's right."
As long as I remain myself, I'll never erase it.
Because it's the trace she left on me.......
【You pass!!】
"......."
I said nothing in particular.
Apparently the fellow hadn't expected a response either, because he slowly climbed down from my shoulder and stood below the bed.
【When I first made a deal with you, I thought this: that you were a dangerous Disaster who could turn at any moment.】
"You saw me correctly."
Actually, the moment the Void inside me awakens, it will become more than a Disaster.
【So I thought, 'What if I wait for a chance and deal with you?'】
"It seems your thoughts have changed now."
【That's right. The biggest reason is that if you disappear, our Claire would be sad, but...】
"I'll have to thank her later."
【Uegh.......】
The fellow flopped onto the bed and fake-gagged, acting as if he had internal organs he clearly lacked.
【I did hope things would go well for Claire, but I didn't want to watch this much lovey-dovey.......】
Vuar got up, rubbing his mouth with the back of his tiny hand.
And, wiping the mischief off his face, he spoke.
【I don't know exactly what you're planning to do, but at the very least it didn't strike me as something that would lead to a bad outcome. And more than anything.......】
Whoosh——!!
Once again, a soft light radiated from his body.
And where the light faded, Vuar was facing me in her natural, womanly form.
【No matter how much my child grieves during that process, she won't break.】
Vuar's hand touched my cheek.
【Thank you for your consideration. I too promise to offer the same consideration if the opportunity arises.】
"If you remember and don't forget."
【Yes. If I remember and don't forget.】
Vuar smiled a faint smile and slowly lowered the hand that had been on my cheek.
【But do you know something?】
Gradually growing faint, she tapped her own left cheek with her fingers and smiled gently.
【The one who left a trace on you wasn't that child.......】
I was the first.