Ep.11 - A Bluff
Ep.11 - A Bluff
***
We walked for quite a long time. Before we knew it, the mountain ranges of the Dwarf Kingdom visible behind us had been swallowed up by the dense forest.
That place was the forest of the elves. Whether it was fortunate or not, no elves or magical beasts blocked our path.
Our journey was uneventful. Occasionally, conversation passed back and forth between us, and very occasionally, Eva or I would stumble and slow our pace, but even so, most of the time remained fairly uneventful.
At times I could hear Kaede's boastful stories, or the soft chatter of Neva and Eva, but
within our utterly ambiguous relationships, nothing particularly substantial was ever shared. My eyes, too, merely passed the time by glancing here and there at the forest I was seeing for the first time.
They say the villages of the elves are not the kind built firmly upon the ground like those of the dwarves. Unlike the dwarves who love to stick together, the elves split into countless tribes and exclude one another, so their villages are hidden in unremarkable places to avoid enemy raids.
"Hek, he-eck..."
How many hours had we walked? At the point where rough breaths burst involuntarily from my mouth, we stopped for a moment.
"Delin. It would be better for you to just ride on my back. That much isn't particularly hard for me, so this time, don't overdo it and just ride on my back once we set off."
"Sh-should I...?"
"Seobang-nim, it is alright for you to ride on my back as well! I am still quite sturdy!"
Walking through the dense forest without so much as a single carriage, my legs were on the verge of giving out. There was no room for pride or anything of the sort; I felt like simply borrowing a little strength from these noonas who boasted such formidable stamina.
"Eva, what's wrong?"
"Ah, u-ung... my body feels a bit unwell today..."
Eva was causing worry too, just like me. Walking was especially harder for her today. Of course, Eva flew carefully on her broomstick, but for some reason, her flight was also a bit unsteady.
"This forest is peculiar. I can understand why Eva-yang is struggling. Even considering it's an elf forest, the rejection reaction is quite strong..."
Chichi laid out her thoughts to us as we sat down briefly to rest. Even the noonas who didn't particularly enjoy joining conversations perked their ears at Chichi's words. The things she said always contained important, core points.
"The feeling of the forest is certainly different. It's extremely dense, and a bit ominous, too."
"The elf forests have a long history, and it's because the trees hold quite a lot of mana. It's different from ordinary land. The World Tree grows in the land of the elves. Dense mana seeps out from that tree, so they say all the forests of the elf territory are lush and ominous..."
Chichi and Neva, who were at least capable of conversation, sat side by side and exchanged information. Kaede and Helen, feeling curious about their talk, also drew closer, and Eva and I carefully sat beside them as well.
"Chichi, you certainly do know a great deal!"
"It's common sense. And what do you mean by 'you'...! Don't address me so strangely!"
"Why is that? You look younger than me, so what's..."
Except for Riko, whose expression remained quite rigid, everyone sat around in a circle like that and began to talk. The mood softened considerably with this rare conversation.
"Anyway, let's move while making sure to avoid meeting any elves as much as possible. We have enough water and food anyway."
"We can move while avoiding them, but is there truly a need to avoid the elves? To ask for directions or gather information, we will need to make contact at least a few times."
"That is true, but the elves..."
Chichi's eyes lingered on me. She stopped as if about to say something, gauged my reaction, and then muttered very quietly into Neva's ear.
"...I see."
Neva flinched in surprise and frowned. I wanted to ask what they had talked about, but they soon kept muttering into each other's ears, making sure their voices didn't reach me.
"Uh, I'll just excuse myself for a moment. Everyone, keep talking."
Although it felt alienating, I figured there must be a reason to hide it and removed myself from the spot. It didn't seem like a good thing, especially seeing the way their eyes looked at me with worry...
"Hey."
"Hiik! Wha— you startled me!"
In the moment I was briefly imagining their secret, Riko approached my side. I was startled because I hadn't noticed when she'd come, but Riko paid no mind to my reaction and simply bombarded me with questions as if cornering me.
"You did it with that bastard."
"Wh-what did I do! I didn't do it."
"You did."
"I said I didn't... Think whatever you want if you're going to doubt me. You won't believe me even if I tell you anyway."
Riko was apparently still suspicious of me. Her sharp intuition was something to be feared. The way she bit down persistently and interrogated me felt like a hawk that had caught its prey...
"You did it, you fucking bastard. You think I wouldn't know? Wow... I really didn't think you'd deny it to the very end."
"I said no...! And that really hurts! Let go of my arm!"
Riko charged in without tiring of this seemingly endless argument, demanding an answer from me. She was already completely certain of my infidelity.
"This is really your last chance, so tell me properly. You did it with that bitch, didn't you?"
"I said no..."
Since I had been dragged out around dawn and hadn't even spent that long a time, she ought to have set aside her suspicions, but Riko wouldn't let them go easily.
The love we shared after even freezing time wouldn't have left behind any traces. It would be considered too short a time to have pressed our bodies together.
"Ha!"
Riko wouldn't simply let go of the gaze that woman named Revi had sent my way. She would never forget that gaze and the tenderness that tried to hold my hand just a little longer. Riko's hand ran through her hair nervously.
"Delin. I won't get angry, so just tell me now, okay? How am I supposed to believe you just held hands and meditated? Be honest with me. If you're honest, I'll forgive you."
In response, Riko's words became much softer. She spoke as if granting me mercy, as if giving me a final chance.
"I'm saying this because I already know everything, so please stop lying. Okay? Just be honest with me, and only me. I can forgive whatever you did with that bitch, but I'm angry because you kept telling gentle lies and pretending you didn't know. Let's be honest."
"...Really?"
Riko shook her head slightly and created a comfortable atmosphere. When she suddenly asked like a kind teacher, I even considered telling the truth now.
"Even if you keep lying and saying no, I already know everything anyway. So let's stop this now and slowly tell me properly. Hurry up."
"You really won't get angry, right? For real?"
"If you tell me now, I won't."
Since it was obvious she would keep tormenting me even if I said no, wouldn't it be better to tell her just a little?
But since I couldn't say we fucked all night long, I would just twist it a little and tell her. Just the right amount...
"We, we didn't meditate, and we just kissed a little, the two of us. That's all."
"I see, so you kissed. I knew you would. And?"
"That's it! We really just kissed a little, the two of us. Because she said I could receive mana better that way..."
Riko smiled contentedly and stroked my head. Truly, just like the words she had spoken, she didn't get angry at me.
"I-I'm sorry. I thought you'd be angry if I told you..."
"It's fine. Yeah. You told me properly, even if it's now."
Riko was surprisingly kind. So I put aside my worries at this sight and held meaning to express my thanks for her understa—
"Ha-euup!? Eup...!"
Before I could get the words out conveying that meaning, the freedom of my mouth was utterly stolen. Already, Riko had yanked my chin close and began violating me long and deeply.
"Gu-hup... Chut... Ke-hup..."
To be forcibly kissed at an unexpected timing, with even my oxygen stolen from me. This was a human rights violation.
Just like the deep kiss we had shared in the back alley before, this kiss was also so sticky that it made my head hurt.
Riko instantly bound me in her embrace as if tying me up and continued the kiss without a moment's rest. No matter how many signals I sent that I was suffocating and in distress, she wouldn't let me go.
I could feel it even as we kissed. This was revenge and punishment. A punishment given to me for daring not to live cautiously—a heavy kiss to set the mood before dealing out a proper punishment.
"Philmark, just what the hell are you doing...!"
From some distance away, I heard Neva's voice trying to help me. Along with hers, I also heard the voices of Kaede, Chichi, and Eva, but because of the fierce kissing sounds happening inside my mouth, I couldn't hear them properly.
Both I and Riko continued the kiss with our eyes wide open. Past my tearful eyes, Riko's upturned eyes reflected back were so frightening I could barely face them.
One of her eyebrows was slightly raised and trembling finely. That sight made me feel her fury unmistakably.
Riko, clutching my ass tightly with both hands, pouring a merciless kiss upon me.
I, held in her arms and flailing in the air, desperately endured while praying that Neva would come to save me just a little faster, but
it took quite a long time again before Neva came storming over, fuming, and peeled Riko off me.
Until then, Riko relentlessly continued the persistent and frightening deep kiss, issuing her threat to me.
A threat, that is, that she was going to properly discipline this dog-like whore bastard until he died.