The Scent of Lovers
The incident occurred the very next day. Just like any other day, I hunted two young boars for money and slaughtered so many Tooth Snakes that I couldn't even fit them all on the cart. After roaming outside the royal capital alone and earning experience points smoothly, it happened as I was returning home.
Today, Reina noona had said she didn't feel like doing anything. After finishing the butchering at our usual meat shop and receiving the day's portion of meat along with the payment, the moment I returned home...
"Urgh."
What greeted me wasn't her usual drawling voice asking if I'd returned safely, but a thick, pungent aroma that stung my nose. A scent I never expected to smell in this house. My face scrunched up involuntarily.
'This smell...'
It was unfamiliar in this house, but one I'd encountered somewhere before. I pinched my nose with my thumb and forefinger. A faint trace of it had lingered in a certain city, on a certain street I'd visited recently. Though I didn't know what kind of flower it was, this was a much stronger, more intense and lingering floral fragrance than the faint scent I'd smelled back then.
The house had suddenly transformed into a VIP room in some entertainment district. The crimson smoke rising from the incense burner blatantly revealed itself as the culprit behind this situation.
'Ah, it's overwhelming.'
Fearing that continuing to breathe it in would make me dizzy, I used my free hand to crack open a window. Cold air crept in through the gap, but the pungent smell seemed to escape outward like water being scooped from a well. I released my nose. It was a different kind of intensity from the manure smell wafting from the outskirts of the city.
After ventilating for a while, I approached Reina noona, who was lounging on the sofa. The scent was so strong it was suffocating. Despite the overwhelming fragrance, she lay there with her eyes closed.
'Nothing serious must have happened...'
Worried, I slowly approached the sofa, holding my breath, and leaned in to check if she was alright. A soft, hissing breath like escaping air reached my ears. Thankfully, she seemed to be just sleeping. She'd mentioned working hard lately, so she must have been exhausted. If I started preparing lunch, the noise would probably wake her.
"Mmm..."
She stirred in her sleep, letting out a mumbled groan. Maybe she was feeling the cold from the slightly open window? I fetched a blanket from the bed, which was a fair distance from the sofa, and gently draped it over her.
At that moment, her eyelids fluttered open slightly. Through the narrow gap, our eyes met—her pitch-black pupils, devoid of any sparkle, almost dazed. An awkward silence hung between us as she gazed at me. Unable to bear the silence, I spoke softly.
"Did you wake up? I was going to make lunch in a bit..."
The words came out naturally, trying to steer the conversation toward food. But they didn't get to finish. Suddenly, a strong pull made me stumble, my body swaying violently.
"Kyaa!"
With a short yelp, I tumbled onto the sofa. For a moment, I couldn't understand what had happened and slowly opened my tightly shut eyes. My face was near her shoulder, and her slender arms were wrapped around my waist. Right in front of me, the sofa's soft, fuzzy texture came into sharp focus. My heart pounded in this incomprehensible situation.
"Noona...?"
As I called out and lifted my head slightly, her eyelids—which I'd thought had regained consciousness—were already closed again. Realizing her actions had been in her sleep, I tried to slowly extract myself from her embrace, treated like a pillow.
'What strength...'
But she was an A-class mercenary. Despite her delicate appearance, the power in her unmoving arms was overwhelming. After struggling in vain, I gave up and resigned myself to my role as a hugging pillow.
Our bodies rose and fell in sync with each other's breathing. Listening to the repeating breaths in the quiet, drowsiness washed over me, and I closed my eyes.
Not long after, the sensation of someone moving my body gradually brought me back to consciousness. Through the haze, I felt a thick blanket covering me. Only then did I fully wake up, pushing myself up from the floor.
"Uh, did you wake up...?"
"Yeah."
Her voice was still groggy from just waking, her reply curt and indifferent.
"Haa, mm."
She let out a long yawn, covering her mouth, and returned the blanket to its original place. As if nothing had happened, Reina noona began her holiday routine, heading to the kitchen with the meat I'd brought. I followed her quietly.
Cooking here was simple—just grilling meat or vegetables over fire. Stir-frying wasn't common in this world. The tools were limited: thick iron plates or skewers for grilling, pots for boiling, and old-fashioned stone hearths. Combined with a medieval kitchen, it was the epitome of home-cooked despair. Meat grilled unevenly on an iron plate that didn't heat evenly was considered decent. Most ingredients were edible if just stir-fried evenly, but it was a shame.
Today's ingredients, after deducting the cost at the butcher shop: the belly meat of a young boar.
"You said you were tired. I'll do it, so rest."
I reached out toward her hand holding the meat as I spoke. Since my cooking skills were slightly better, it came naturally. Then, unintentionally, my hand brushed against the back of hers—tap. Startled, she yanked her arm forward at lightning speed. Our eyes met, both showing surprise.
It lasted only a moment before her eyes narrowed again, and she spoke in her usual tone.
"...It's fine."
"Ah, okay..."
An awkward atmosphere lingered as I quietly sat at the dining table. In front of me, the incense burner that had been emitting crimson smoke sat cooling down, its job done. I slightly opened the perforated lid. The burned-out incense had turned gray, barely holding its shape. When I poked the ashes inside, they crumbled and mixed with the remnants.
Even as ash, a faint trace of the entertainment district's scent lingered in the small burner. With a sizzle, even that faint aroma began to be overpowered by the intense smell of cooking meat.
"Where did you say you bought that incense burner?"
Her dry voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the refreshing sound of meat grilling. It was the same question as yesterday, so I gave the same answer.
"Huh? Oh... in Windren."
"That small bundle of incense, the shop just gave it to you, right?"
"Huh? Yeah..."
I rummaged through my memories of shopping. Actually, rather than the shop owner just giving it, I recalled him asking who the gift was for after seeing me buy the burner and tea, and me explaining in detail. But it didn't seem necessary to mention, so I hadn't. All I remembered was accepting it with a "it's a service" and thinking "the more the merrier."
Then, Reina noona continued flatly.
"You might not have known, but that scent... it's something lovers use."
"What?"
It felt like being hit with a hammer; my mind went blank as I blurted out in confusion. Something lovers use—that is... an incense for when engaging in intimate relations. Considering the location of the shop selling the burner and the scent wafting from it matching the entertainment district, it was something I could have guessed. But only after being pointed out did it click. No wonder it had been sneakily handed over from behind the counter—it was that kind of adult item?
"You still don't know... No, never mind."
She seemed to mistake my confused exclamation for a question and stopped explaining, brushing it off. As if it was forbidden knowledge for a 15-year-old boy, she avoided details. But my mind had already finished processing it. Because of that, an even more uncomfortable feeling lingered in my chest. Just what had the shop owner been thinking when he gave it to me? A chill ran down my spine at the thought of the potential disaster that could have occurred. If something had happened, I wouldn't have been able to face Rein.
Soon, she continued with advice as an elder and mercenary.
"Anyway, don't just accept things from people without thinking."
"...Yeah."
I replied glumly, learning yet another lesson about surviving in this world.