Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: 25. Wilderness Festival
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The second night of the Wilderness Festival was drawing to a close.
The festival's fervor showed no signs of cooling, even as the night deepened.
Lanterns hung throughout the streets adorned the ground like a sea of stars.
Merry music and bursts of laughter mingled together, drifting up into the night sky.
But in a space utterly cut off from all that racket...
The S-Class dormitory was enveloped in nothing but heavy silence.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Rough, heavy footsteps shattered the stillness, echoing down the dormitory hallway.
Each step slammed into the floor as if unleashing pent-up rage, carrying an unnatural weight.
The servants still cleaning late into the night jumped in fright and turned their heads, but all they caught was a chilling silhouette streaking past like a gale.
With a clamor, the figure finally arrived at Room 301, pausing for a deep breath before the door.
Bang!
The door to Room 301 flew open with a shriek.
The figure stepped into the darkness, breathing raggedly, eyes blazing with barely contained fury, on the verge of explosion.
"…"
He'd never shown such anger before, so any servant who glimpsed him passing by must have wondered what was wrong.
He took a moment to steady his breath, scanning the room.
Moonlight filtered through the uncurtained window, faintly illuminating the space.
Clothes strewn messily about, a bag tossed carelessly aside.
And deeper in, on the bed, a man dead to the world in deep slumber.
"…"
Step. Step.
The figure strode toward the bed without hesitation.
Even as his footsteps rang out in the quiet room, the man didn't stir an inch.
He lay there so peacefully that for a split second, one might wonder if he was dead.
"Snooore…"
But seeing that smug face snoring contentedly like the luckiest bastard alive made all the bottled-up frustration boil over.
"Evan Dreadnote…!"
Gritting his teeth, the figure staggered forward and roughly seized the man by the collar.
"Wake up! Get up right now!"
His bellow made the room reverberate.
It was loud enough to wake Imir next door, or so you'd think—but the man himself, Evan, didn't even twitch.
Actually, the next room was dead silent too, so master and servant seemed equally out cold.
"…Mmm."
If anything, he just dug at his ear as if annoyed by the noise and turned his head away.
That infuriating nonchalance—dream talk or deliberate ignore, who knew?—drained the strength from Kaien's grip.
"…Hah."
Watching that idiot made Kaien feel like he was the fool for even engaging.
A defeated sigh slipped from his lips.
Releasing the collar sent Evan's body flopping limply back onto the bed.
"To think I'd waste my energy on a guy like this…"
Kaien clutched his forehead and staggered.
His head throbbed.
Probably thanks to that brute barbarian dragging him around for two straight days.
And the reason for his rage was simple.
That damn barbarian had dragged him to the festival all day—a spectacle he wanted no part in.
"I told you a dozen times, I don't want to go!"
"Are you embarrassed? Don't worry! Even without our classmate, we can enjoy it ourselves today and make sure to all go together tomorrow!"
Unwanted group outings, crowds reeking of sweat, eardrum-shattering noise.
For someone as sensitive as him, two days of this had been pure torture.
'Damn it all.'
Irritated, Kaien covered his face with his hands and sighed.
'Get a grip, Kaien von Raven. This isn't like you.'
He muttered to himself.
You know it too. The reason you got dragged around had nothing to do with Evan.
That ridiculously strong barbarian had been pushy as hell, that's all.
And failing to shake him off decisively was his own fault.
Still, he couldn't help the anger surging up.
He knew it was petty, but that guy just rubbed him the wrong way.
Here he was suffering, and that oblivious face snored away shamelessly.
"…Haa. The room's a mess again."
For Kaien, who demanded spotless surroundings at all times, especially his own space...
Evan, who seemed to attract filth wherever he went, was a constant irritation in more ways than one.
"…"
In a fit of pique, Kaien snatched a pillow and hurled it at Evan's face.
Thwump.
"Snooore…"
Before it even hit, Evan reached out, hugged it, and settled into an even comfier position to sleep.
Kaien let out a hollow laugh at the sight.
"…You're really pissing me off."
He didn't even have the energy to stay mad.
Extreme fatigue crashed over him like a tsunami, overwhelming his body.
His mind felt like a waterlogged sponge—heavy, incapable of clear thought.
"…Gonna crash."
Maybe that's why.
He did something he'd never do under normal circumstances.
Shff.
He shed his outer clothes, then fumbled with trembling hands to unbutton his shirt one by one.
The tight binding wrap around his chest followed suit.
The constricting white cloth slithered to the floor.
"Hoo…"
Freed from the suffocating pressure, air filled his lungs deep down, bringing sweet relief.
At the same time, the curves suppressed beneath the bandages were laid bare under the moonlight.
Leaving the discarded clothes strewn on the floor, Kaien staggered to the bed and crawled in.
Thoughts of showering despite the exhaustion, or tidying the filthy room, flickered briefly.
But his stamina had crossed the threshold—instinct overrode all reason.
Shff.
For some reason, the bed felt narrower than usual as he slowly closed his eyes.
The steady breathing beside him oddly soothed him.
'…Warm.'
Someone's body heat touched him.
No time to check who.
He plummeted into the abyss of sleep.
+ + +
The next morning.
Birdsong from outside stirred him awake.
Sunlight poured dazzlingly through the window gap.
"Mm…"
Rolling his stiff neck.
Feeling refreshed from a solid night's sleep for once, he stretched—
Then realized something heavy pinned his arm.
'What the…?'
Did he sleep wrong? He rubbed his eyes and looked up.
There.
A black-haired youth—no, girl—with her hand on his chest, fast asleep.
Her upper body completely exposed.
"…"
In that instant, I froze, forgetting to breathe.
The scene before me was so surreal, I couldn't tell if it was reality or a dream.
Jet-black hair splayed across the pillow, long lashes quivering faintly.
Beneath them, through the open shirt, pale skin and gentle swells.
"Mm…"
Maybe my stare prickled; she let out a soft groan and shifted.
Her body tilted toward me, pressing that soft sensation more vividly against my arm.
…What the hell is going on?
My brain was in overload.
Alarms blared in my head.
Yet the reality before me was strangely serene.
"…"
'Let's sort this out first.'
So. Until last night, at least before I slept...
Kaien hadn't come back to the room.
The reason he was late: Barkan.
He'd taken half the class sightseeing the festival, no doubt.
Anyway, whenever he got back late, he must've stripped down and climbed into bed to crash.
And now, opening my eyes to this mess.
But why.
Why sleep in my bed instead of his own?
And above all.
'Why the hell are you naked?!'
No binding wrap, totally defenseless.
Black hair draped over pale skin, creating a striking contrast that drew the eye.
'Haa…'
A sigh escaped me unwittingly.
What to do? Wake her? Or not?
If I wake her?
Probably pandemonium. Screaming, drawing a sword, lunging at me.
'What did you do?!' She'd freak out, obviously.
But I couldn't just leave her like this either.
We couldn't stay this way forever.
Especially with that soft touch against my arm steadily eroding my self-control.
'First, get my arm free.'
I tried easing my arm out carefully.
Holding my breath to avoid waking her.
Wriggle.
But reacting to my movement, she squirmed closer into my embrace.
"Mm… cold…"
Mumbling in her sleep, she hugged my waist tight.
Her bare skin pressed even more flush against me.
'Heavens. Why put me through this trial…?!'
Amid the shocking contact, I desperately clung to reason, invoking gods I didn't even believe in.
That was when.
Shff.
Her long lashes fluttered, revealing hazy black eyes still heavy with sleep.
Her unfocused gaze wandered the air, then locked onto me—frozen in indecision.
"…"
"…"
Silence.
A stillness as if time itself had halted.
She blinked vacantly.
Still lost in dreams? Her eyes lacked focus as she stared at me.
Then, slowly, focus sharpened.
"…Huh?"
Clearly confused.
She tilted her head, her gaze drifting downward.
My arm wedged against her chest.
And below it, her bare skin with just a shirt loosely draped.
"…Ah?"
A small, dumb sound leaked from her lips.
And the next instant.
Her eyes flew wide in disbelief.
Her face flushed crimson from cheeks to neck.
"G-Good morning?"
Before my awkward greeting could land.
"Kyaaaaah!"
A piercing scream filled the room.