48. Total trash
48. Total trash
"Hng~ Hngit!♥ Haa... I wonder when he'll come..."
Despite the kitchen filled with acrid smoke, Arin just kept laughing, clearly in high spirits over something.
Boiling high-quality herbs made the smoke no ordinary smoke.
Even Arin, who had reached a profound realm, felt her body reacting.
Tears prickling at her eyes, throat scratchy, but she was brewing medicine solely for her husband.
Whether asleep or awake, she thought only of Ryu-o, the devoted wife doing everything she could to help her man.
And who could blame her? In Arin's empty life, there was only Ryu-o.
Just living day by day in her strong body, passing time without meaning.
Into that dry, bland existence, a ray of light had come down...
So it was inevitable that she'd become addicted to that warmth.
From the moment Ryu-o left until now.
Arin kept up the grueling work without a hint of fatigue.
"Hmm, once this is done, I should make a few Dano Gongmyeongdan too."
Dano Gongmyeongdan, a magic pill that quiets the five senses.
Arin stirred the cauldron vigorously, thinking of the medicines for Ryu-o's training.
Smiling happily...
"Chwiip... Ung...♥"
"That good, huh?"
-Zing! Chomp!
"Eek! ...Finish up what you're doing."
"Fuu... Chwiip...♥ Nom nom...♥"
I patted the head of Cheon Hwa-ryeong, who was buried in it with full focus.
Luckily, the back-to-her-senses Cheon Hwa-ryeong didn't slug me or get revenge.
She just blushed and ground her teeth...
Finally finishing the cleanup, Cheon Hwa-ryeong flopped onto the bed and grumbled.
-Thud!
"Haa... What the hell is this..."
Even while grumbling, her mood had softened a lot—I looked at her smiling.
"Hey, noona liked it too, right?"
Cheon Hwa-ryeong glared at me with axe eyes again, but let out a deep sigh and beckoned me over.
"This... Haa, go make some food. You have no idea how empty my stomach feels after so long."
Feeling guilty, I obediently went and prepared a meal.
Lots of meat, lots of rice.
I set a full spread on the table, and Cheon Hwa-ryeong staggered over to sit down.
-Thud!
"Not sitting on my lap today?"
Cheon Hwa-ryeong glanced at my leg, then blushed and turned her head away.
"Just feed me!"
"Got it. But how am I supposed to feed you with your head turned?"
"You little shit..."
Her tone went beyond prickly, so I just obediently fed her.
"Nom nom... Booze."
"Got it..."
-Slurp!
Cheon Hwa-ryeong downed a refreshing shot and spoke in a deflated tone.
"Haa... You're one lucky bastard. I value your talent and ability highly, so I've decided to forgive you..."
"Noona seemed to love it too, though? All that aegyo earlier..."
"..."
"...Another shot, noona?"
-Slurp!
"Gulp! ...Starting tomorrow, the real training begins."
"Got it."
Cheon Hwa-ryeong's ears turned bright red as she quietly accepted the food and booze.
-Nom nom, gulp!
Real training, huh... So everything so far wasn't the real deal?
I didn't ask.
No point second-guessing an expert—best to just follow orders.
Finally draining a whole bottle, Cheon Hwa-ryeong's head lolled as she fell asleep.
Should've washed her and fed her first... I regretted it, but just wiped her down with a wet cloth.
-Splash!
"Haa..."
Wiping the fluids leaking from her hole brought back memories of what I'd done.
A ton. And giving her the benefit of the doubt, the first time could pass as Mago training.
But after that? No excuses.
I'd gone and cheated on her.
With a complicated heart, I tucked Cheon Hwa-ryeong in, then washed up in the bathroom myself.
Now I get why cheating husbands wash up before coming home.
The dried traces stuck to my body were no joke.
I could still smell Cheon Hwa-ryeong on me.
'Master...'
I'd been thrilled shaking my hips during the act, but the self-loathing after the deed was unstoppable.
Body felt clean after washing, but my heart didn't.
'...I'll tell her. About what happened.'
Changing clothes, I gritted my teeth and ran outside.
Steel myself for the blade, lost in all sorts of delusions...
Running like that, I'd arrived home before I knew it.
Gritting my teeth and steeling my resolve, I spotted smoke billowing from the kitchen.
"Fire? M-Master!!"
-Ah! Don't come in! My eyes sting!
Calling out in worry, Master seemed fine.
Still, just in case, I opened the door and went in...
-Whoosh!
"Cough! Cough! Master?"
"Jeez, didn't I tell you not to come in?"
Master, tears in her eyes, was stirring something in the cauldron.
That must've been the source filling the kitchen with smoke.
"Master, what's that...?"
"Oh, I was making elixir for my baby! Hehe, just wait a bit!"
'...Ah.'
I'm a piece of shit.
A piece of shit with no room for excuses.
Any courage to tell the truth vanished—I'm definitely a piece of shit.
But how do you say it in a situation like this?
Your loved one shedding tears and snot, making elixir for you.
Not knowing you just came back from cheating...
Smoke hit my eyes, tears streaming down.
Must be the smoke...
"Master..."
"That's why I told you to stay out?"
Unable to hold back, I hugged Master from behind.
-Squeeze!
"Hehe! Your eyes must sting a lot... Rest them on my shoulder."
...My words kept catching in my throat.
I'm sure of it. I love Master way too much.
That's why my heart hurts like this, full of guilt.
Struggling to speak, all I could manage was pathetic.
"Honey... I'll do better..."
"Oh? Hehe... Do better than this?♥ You're already doing great—maybe ease up~ My throat's killing me every night♥"
"..."
When I said nothing, Master tilted her head and glanced back slightly.
"Honey?"
Lost for words, I buried my face in Master's shoulder and murmured softly.
"I love you..."
Master looked at me with a pretty smile...
Her swaying tail wrapped tightly around my waist.
"I love you too.♥"
I'm a fucking piece of shit.
Fanning the smoke away next to Master whose eyes stung, massaging her shoulders, suddenly the cauldron flashed with light.
-Flash!
"It's done..."
Master quickly poured water on the embers to douse them, then plunged her hand into the cauldron.
Scooping up the sticky liquid with her hand.
I freaked out and checked Master's hand.
"Master! Isn't it hot!?"
"Hehe, the cauldron's hot, but I only grabbed the elixir, so it's fine. It cools fast, so gotta shape it quick."
Master molded the elixir with her hands, then instantly stored it in a wooden box from her Subspace.
"Done! I wanna feed it to you right now, but..."
Master ground her teeth, hands trembling as she spoke.
"Better to take it once your Mago reaches a higher realm."
How do you tell her when she hates Mago and Cheon Hwa-ryeong this much...
I just held Master close and soothed her.
-Pat pat
"Phew... If it'd been low-grade Mago, I'd have ripped out or shattered one side of your Dantian somehow..."
"Sh-Shatter it?"
No way she finds out I cheated...
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Master hugged back and rubbed her face against mine.
"Yeah, but I'm more scared of the side effects on your body. So I'll just endure it."
My chest tightening more, I changed the subject.
"Master, those pills on the table...?"
Black pills revealed as the smoke cleared.
Master nodded from my arms.
"Those are Dano Gongmyeongdan. They block the five senses temporarily. Hard to get the ingredients... But luckily Gongnyeo had some."
"You train while taking those?"
Hearing that, Master's eyes drooped sadly.
"Yeah. The training ahead will be several times tougher. You'll fall into a trance, unaware of pain, fatigue, or what you're even doing."
I nodded at the part about it being painful.
"Doesn't matter."
Why? Punishment from her? What's the point...
Misreading my face, Master gently stroked it.
"Hehe... The face of one resolved... As expected of my husband."
Not that at all...
"I'll work harder from now on."
"Hngit! What~♥ Kiss♥ What'll you work harder at~♥ Hmm?"
Seeing Master acting cute, I squeezed my eyes shut, picked her up.
"Ah♥ I was gonna carry you today!"
"Let's wash up together first, honey. Look at those pretty eyes all teary."
"Jeez... You're not just gonna wash, are you...♥"
I chugged potions if I had to, servicing Master all night.
Hitting just the spots she wanted.
♥♥♥
-Chwiip chwiip chwiip~
"There...♥ So good...♥♥"
'I'm a piece of shit.'