Underground Cemetery (3)
“I have to save Dain….”
Ceres began unbuttoning her top with trembling hands, one by one. As her pure white shoulders emerged, her full breasts—too bountiful to be concealed even by clothing—revealed themselves. Beads of sweat, born from the tension of battle, clung to the curves not fully hidden by her bra.
Still clutching Zarco’s hand, Ceres drew a shaky breath and slowly guided it through the gap in her bra. The moment his hand twitched, her waist quivered in response. His fingers, now cupping her breast, began to knead the soft flesh with deliberate care. Ceres’s face burned crimson, yet she could feel the Hero’s light pulsing stronger from her chest, so she simply held his wrist in place.
“Ugh…”
The Hero’s fingers brushed her nipple. She tried to convince herself it had been an accident during the kneading, but Zarco’s long fingers ruthlessly shattered that illusion. As though regaining consciousness, his index finger began stroking up and down her nipple, the pace quickening with every pass. Ceres felt the once-pliant flesh gradually harden beneath his touch.
“Ceres…”
“Zarco… are you awake…?”
Zarco’s eyes fluttered open. Having seen his hand inside her bra, he seemed to have pieced the situation together. Though his fingers continued their sticky, insistent teasing of her nipple, his voice remained calm.
“What about Dain…?”
“He’s… holding on. But it’s bad.”
“…I see.”
Zarco lifted her bra with his hand. The swollen areola and the stiff, erect nipple he had coaxed into hardness bounced free. Before Ceres could flinch in embarrassment and cover herself, he buried his face between her breasts.
“Z-Zarco… ah!”
The moan that tore from her as he sucked hard wasn’t born of shame. The pulse of Authority surged through her chest like a rushing torrent, growing fiercer with every pull of his lips. Because of that overwhelming sensation, Ceres could only grip his shoulders—she couldn’t bring herself to push him away. The Hero sucked her nipple between his lips as though drinking milk. Her back arched further with each intensifying throb.
After a long while, Zarco finally lifted his mouth from her breast. Her nipple glistened wetly with saliva.
“It’s done. This time I can strike true.”
It was no longer accurate to say he was blocking with a shield. He was simply enduring the blows while holding one. Even as he kept the skeletons pinned in place, sensation throughout his body was growing dull. The edges of his blood-clouded vision blurred more with every passing second.
“Let go! Let me go, you damn—!”
When Rufeus glanced carelessly toward the Hero, the skeletons’ hands froze. Light was already gathering once more along the blade of the standing Hero’s sword. Cold sweat broke across the demon’s face as he watched the luminous edge take shape.
“N-no.”
Despite the demon’s pitiful lament, the Hero swung the sword of light again. The brilliant arc flew straight for Rufeus’s neck.
“Dain!”
The flash of light pierced Dain’s fading vision. His legs gave out beneath him.
Urgent footsteps rushed closer, and soon a soft, feminine hand touched his bloodied one.
“Dain! Are you all right?”
“C-Ceres… the demon…”
“It’s over. Zarco… Zarco took care of it. Does it hurt badly? I’m so sorry…”
Ceres’s hand was trembling. Faintly, ever so faintly, the Saintess’s healing Authority began to seep into his body. His entire form was in ruins, yet Dain managed a slow, relieved smile.
“It’s okay. Ha… your hand’s so cold… it feels good.”
The top button of Ceres’s blouse had come undone.
“Hero! Saintess! Ah, D-Dain! To be wounded this badly…!”
“Call a healer! Quickly!”
Leaning on Ceres and Zarco for support, they returned to the village where Dolan waited. After assessing Dain’s condition, Dolan immediately summoned help to carry him into an inn room and gathered every healer in the village.
The relief of reaching safety only seemed to amplify the pain. Even the simple act of being laid on the bed made Dain’s eyes squeeze shut in agony.
“Where’s the healer? Hurry…!”
“I’ll go find them. Please stay with him!”
Ceres never once released Dain’s hand. Her healing was minimal at best, yet the gentle touch of her fingers helped him forget the pain, little by little. When her hand shook, Dain smiled to reassure her.
“It’s all right. I’m not going to die.”
“I saw you standing there taking every hit. Just stay still.”
“I wasn’t taking them—I was blocking… ow!”
“I said stay still!”
Soon Dolan returned with the healer. The healer examined Dain with practiced efficiency and began chanting healing spells. Gentle sparks of light enveloped his body, and at once his breathing eased.
Even then, Ceres never let go of his hand.
Outside the room, Zarco and Dolan spoke in low voices.
“S-so you truly subjugated that demon?”
“Yes. The body vanished, but this was left behind.”
Zarco pulled a black gem from his pocket.
“A magic stone. The kind formed inside a demon’s body… so it really was one of them.”
“Ah, and he mentioned a name—Lemaris, was it? Have you heard of it?”
“No. Lemaris… I’ve never encountered the name before. In any case, you performed magnificently. To defeat a demon mere three days after receiving your Authority—it is an astounding feat! I must report this to headquarters at once!”
Dolan grew visibly excited, practically shouting as he dashed out of the inn.
Zarco watched him go, then stepped toward the open doorway of the room.
After the initial healing, his body felt considerably better, yet the sheer exhaustion and severity of his wounds still left him unable to move freely. Once the healer departed, the room held only Dain and Ceres. They remained in silence, hands gently overlapping.
The noise outside the inn grew louder. Under Dolan and the mayor’s direction, a modest banquet to celebrate the Hero’s first demon subjugation was being prepared in the village square. Tables, chairs, and dishes appeared in the blink of an eye. A barrel of liquor was rolled into place, and the mayor’s speech began.
Though the window muffled the words, fragments like “Hero” and “demon” still drifted through. Before long, Zarco was seated at one of the tables, accepting a cup of wine poured by a pretty village woman.
“Saintess?”
Dolan entered the room, his face already slightly flushed from drink.
“Saintess, we’ve prepared a small celebration for the Hero’s first demon subjugation. It wouldn’t be right for you to miss it. Please, come join us.”
“But Dain’s injuries—”
“It’s all right, Ceres.”
Dain turned his head and smiled.
“Go on. In a time when the Demon King has risen, moments like these must happen again and again so people can find strength.”
“Ohh, Dain! Spoken like a true shield of the Hero!”
Dolan clapped Dain’s shoulder, sending a sharp jolt of pain through him.
“Ow! Ah, that hurts…”
“Ah, my apologies! Haha! Come, Saintess. Let’s go.”
“Still…”
Watching Dain’s unwavering smile, Ceres slowly withdrew her hand.
From the window, the banquet below looked merry. People laughed and chatted about the tale of the demon’s defeat. The Hero and Saintess were the people’s hope.
Soon Ceres emerged from the inn, and Dolan guided her to the empty seat beside Zarco. At her arrival, the voices of the revelers swelled even louder. Ceres shyly smoothed her hair, then gradually joined the laughter and conversation, letting the festive mood carry her along.
Even as Dain smiled at the sight, his heart drifted strangely, hollow and weightless.
“Hey there, young warrior.”
“Ah, hello.”
“Heard you took quite the beating. Still, you ought to celebrate too.”
Three village men climbed the stairs carrying food and drink. Without waiting for permission, they settled around his bed and began refilling one another’s cups.
“Care for a drink?”
“No, I’m in no shape for that.”
“Krr, must be rough. You’re the one holding the front line, aren’t you? Doesn’t it scare you?”
“Haha, even if it does, someone has to do it.”
“Exactly. Someone has to. When I was young I dreamed of becoming a warrior! Isn’t it grand? Standing firm at the front, protecting your comrades. Right?”
The man who had been drinking gave Dain’s shoulder a light pat. Strangely, it didn’t hurt as much as before. He could feel the man’s genuine goodwill.
“We’re counting on you, young warrior. We know it’s no easy task, being part of the Hero’s party. All we can do is believe in you and wait. So please—protect the Hero and Saintess with everything you have!”
Though drunk, the man’s expression was earnest.
“Yes, I’ll do my best!”
“That’s the spirit!”
The man downed his drink like water, exhaled deeply, then leaned in close.
“A little reward for such a fine answer. Let me tell you about the inns in the Marant region, from here all the way southeast.”
“Uncle, you’re embarrassing the whole village…”
When the young man beside him tried to intervene, the older man shook his head.
“Nonsense! This warrior has earned the right to know. You’re an honorable resident of Siko Village now! Listen well.”
The man’s face drew even closer.
“In the inns of this region… there are hidden holes that let you peek into the next room.”
“Uncle! Come on…”
“Quiet! It’s true. Long ago, travelers would carve such holes everywhere as a sort of custom, or so I’ve heard!”
“It’s just a rumor. I’ve never seen one myself. Though I have heard the stories a few times.”
Dain offered an awkward smile. The hole he had noticed behind that picture frame—it had been exactly that kind of hole. From their conversation, it seemed no one knew the precise locations, but everyone was aware such things existed.
“Really now… Let’s go, Uncle.”
The youth grabbed the middle-aged man’s arm.
“Sorry about that. The old man was talking nonsense. We’ll leave you to rest, Warrior.”
“Ah, thank you. And for the food.”
“We’re the ones who should thank you.”
Just before closing the door, the youth who had dragged the rambling uncle away poked his head back in.
“Do your best.”
Once the door shut, the quiet room was filled only with the faint sound of laughter drifting through the window. Dain struggled to sit up and gazed outside at Ceres. Her cheeks were flushed—perhaps she had drunk a little too. She stood at the very center of the celebration. As she laughed with a slightly disheveled expression and leaned against Zarco’s shoulder, Dain’s fist clenched before he even realized it.