Recovery and Confession
"Y-You shameless bastard..!"
What the hell is she saying! She was the one who offered the kiss! Anyone watching would think I was the one clinging to her!
"You.. are you even in your right mind? What kind of servant just accepts a kiss from a duke's daughter like that!"
Oh, now she's trying to pin the blame on me.
"If this were the old days with strict class systems, you'd lose your head! You know that?"
Lose my head, my ass. Besides, we're in a contractual relationship—surely a little flirting is allowed if the mood's right? Also, there's one thing wrong with what she just said.
"Strictly speaking, that wasn't even a kiss. My tongue didn't go in—urk!"
I got punched in the solar plexus mid-sentence. Is she just going to start hitting me now?
"Y-You crazy bastard! What kind of nonsense is that! A kiss or a peck, it's all the same!"
She started it and now she's mortified. But a kiss and a peck are the same thing?
"Huh..? Now that I think about it, that means you didn't give me a proper kiss, did you?"
This is something I, as a romance enthusiast, cannot let slide. If there's no tongue involved, no back-and-forth, that's not a kiss—it's just a peck.
"What are you talking about! Even if I said I'd do that.. how could I allow tongue!"
Oh dear. I think our definitions of kissing are quite different.
"Well, in that case, it wasn't really a kiss.. felt a bit lacking, don't you think?"
As I said that, I lightly licked around her lips, still warm from earlier. Violet froze solid, her face turning that signature tomato red she gets when embarrassed.
"I feel like I've allowed you most things, but you weren't planning on allowing tongue at all?"
The closer I leaned in, the faster she scrambled backward. Why? Afraid I'd steal another kiss? If she gets caught, I'd be the one dragged off to prison. I want to save her, not join her behind bars.
"Don't tell me.. was I just someone you enjoyed playing with when you were bored?"
She stammered and froze. I could probably push for a real kiss right now, but she'd definitely sulk afterward. So I stopped advancing and added one more line.
"Still, I thought our relationship was pretty deep.. I think about you all the time, you know."
Well, ever since I entered the game, I've been thinking about how to survive. That counts as thinking about her, right? ..Or not?
"Besides, we've hugged and kissed. That should make us something like lovers, shouldn't it?"
—Nod nod..
Violet, face flushed crimson, tucked her knees to her chest and nodded with her head hidden behind them.
"Well, if that's how you see kisses and that's why you brought it up, I don't have the right to force you."
—Twitch!
Instead of answering, her ears perked up. Can human ears really move like that?
"In exchange, how about we make a new deal? A real kiss, on one condition."
Violet's ears and hair fluttered slightly as she mulled it over.
"..Fine."
She'd already straightened up, avoiding my gaze as she spoke.
"So, what's the condition? Got anything in mind?"
Even as I asked while trying to meet her eyes, Violet answered with renewed energy, as if she'd made up her mind.
"When my illness is cured—that's when we'll kiss! You said you'd cure me, remember?"
..I could cure her right now, though. Still, it feels like a waste to end the teasing here.
"Then what if your illness never gets cured? Does that mean no kiss?"
She stiffened at my question, then added quietly,
"..Then in that case, you'd have to do whatever else I want too."
What's with that? The condition only disadvantages one person. I smiled, but Violet just looked away with a shameless expression. So that's how it's going to be?
"Please wait a moment, my lady."
I searched Laplace's body, still riddled with arrows. It didn't take long to find a small vial of purple liquid in the inner pocket of the coat draped over him. In the game, it just dropped on the ground after defeating the Demon King. Finding it manually is such a hassle.
"Drink this."
I handed it straight to Violet.
"Wh-What is this? Grape juice?"
Well, the color does look like it. I chuckled at her childish comparison and urged her on.
"It's a secret. It might not taste great, but it's good for you. Try it."
"..This isn't some kind of aphrodisiac, is it? Are you trying to do stuff to me while I'm out of it?"
She really sees me that way.. That actually hurts. As I hung my head and tried to look sulky, Violet quickly backtracked.
"H-Hey! It was a joke! Why are you taking it so seriously?"
She gulped down the elixir in one go. Ah. I think the item description did say it tasted awful..
"Aaaagh! It's so gross!!"
Even so, she didn't spit it out and forced herself to swallow every drop. The way she kept glancing at me.. was it because I looked sulky earlier? She's such a good person.
"Ugh.. uegh.. it's bitter and weird.. Why would you make me drink this.. huh..?"
Ah, the effects are kicking in. A medicine that works the moment it enters the body—what on earth is it made of?
"H-Huh..?"
Violet must be feeling it too. The mana that had been clogged and stagnant due to Mana Retardation was now flowing through her body at a speed beyond that of an ordinary person.
"What.. what is this?"
She kept gripping and releasing the scabbard, awestruck by the power surging through her. She looked at me, clearly hesitant..
"You probably have more power than you know what to do with right now. Feel free to use it however you like."
Violet's eyes welled up again. She turned her back to me and placed her hand on the scabbard.
—Grip!
The moment she drew the sword, the air shifted instantly.
'Now that's more like it.'
This was the transcendent slash that only appeared when Violet Floyd's Mana Retardation was cured and her will to live was restored—or when she was doped up with all sorts of drugs to explosively increase her mana flow after being turned into an enemy. The hidden boss's full power, strong enough to crush even the Demon King.
—BOOM!
A single strike accompanied by a sonic boom and blinding light. Even though nothing was hit, the sheer power was obvious just from watching the sky it passed through. The air, heated by friction and wind pressure from the sword's momentum. And then..
"..Impressive. You'd make a terrifying wife if I married you later."
Even the plum blossom petals scattered by the razor-sharp air. I was staring with my mouth agape at a sight straight out of a martial arts comic when—
—Pop!
The plum blossom petals painting the sky burst into countless beautiful fireworks, just like those launched at festivals.
"S-Sebastian.."
Violet, who had been staring in awe at what she'd created, slowly turned her stiff body toward me.
"Hic!"
She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks, pressed her lips together to stop more from falling, then walked over and asked,
"Th-This.. what is it? How did you do this?"
At her innocent question, I smiled without resistance and pointed at the hedgehog girl, still unconscious. Or maybe already dead.
"This is the disease that girl spread. I got the cure from her."
After answering, I smiled faintly and asked Violet,
"So, how do you feel now?"
Violet fiddled with the scabbard, then nodded with the brightest smile I'd ever seen on her face.
"I feel amazing! Really.. thank you so much!"
If I did it now, the timing wouldn't be bad for the creator, for me, or for Violet. I approached the cheering girl, gently lifted her chin to meet her eyes, and asked playfully,
"My lady, didn't you say you'd kiss me once your illness was cured?"
Violet froze for a moment, but unlike before, she didn't look away or blush. Instead, she looked me straight in the eye and said confidently,
"Of course. I will. But this comes first."
The moment she finished speaking, she buried her face in my chest and wrapped both arms around me tightly. Not just a hug—she squeezed so hard I could barely breathe. Then she twisted her body as if trying to muster courage, pressing her head against me.
After a while, Violet lifted her head as if she'd made a decision and shouted,
"Sebastian!"
She took a deep breath to hide her embarrassment, met my eyes, and declared in a loud voice, her face once again that tomato-red shade,
"I.. I really like you! More than anyone else in this world!"
..If Violet was going to be this honest,
"I like you too, Violet Floyd. More than anyone else in this world."
I had no choice but to be honest as well. Because I really did like her.