Rain Adorning the Inn
Rain decorated the surroundings of the inn. Amid the endless downpour, Arahan clicked her tongue in annoyance. Above all, the persistent humidity clinging to everything soured her mood. The sky was thick with murky clouds, mirroring the unease in her heart as she gazed at Rowen, peacefully asleep beside her. It was already morning.
The once diligent Rowen had been sleeping more lately. He often skipped their daily training sessions, and even the routine of rotating his core to refine his mana had fallen by the wayside.
Boom! A flash of lightning streaked outside the window. A brilliant yellow bolt. The dark thunderclouds had already blanketed the distant harbor.
"Please wake up, Master. How long do you intend to sleep?"
"...Mm."
"Young Master?"
Arahan pressed close to Rowen and whispered. In this space that belonged only to the two of them—a full month undisturbed by anyone—it felt like a dream. But she had no intention of troubling him. It had been a long time since he'd shut his heart away. She needed to look after him.
In the dim room, Arahan lit a candle, illuminating the space. Thanks to her status as a top-tier adventurer, they had access to this fine inn. Fortunately, no one had noticed Rowen's presence.
She gently stroked the head of Rowen, who twitched as if in pain. It was just another ordinary day, yet he looked so achingly lonely.
"....Don't go."
"I won't leave you."
"...Please.."
"Open your eyes. I'm always by your side."
Arahan's gaze upon Rowen held a glint of madness—the look of one whose affection had twisted into obsessive love. She cradled him tenderly. Perhaps feeling her warmth, Rowen's expression softened. The cold sweat beading on his skin began to dry.
Arahan savored his scent before reluctantly rising.
"Nngh..."
"Awake at last?"
"...What time is it?"
"Still early morning."
He'd had a dream. A dream where everyone left him behind. First came three shadowy male figures whose faces he couldn't make out—people he knew better than anyone, loved and cherished above all. Two fathers and a brother.
Ghosts of the past tormented his memories. Blood spraying before his eyes. News of fates unknown. A brother taking his own life on Rowen's blade. No one deserved such a wretched existence.
Why me? Why does this horror only befall me?
He questioned it endlessly in the dream, searching for answers. But the outcome was always the same: utter devastation and death.
A soft, enveloping sensation. A warm heart whispering lovingly. It eased him somewhat. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open.
As expected, Arahan was there by his side, just as always. Rowen sat up and checked himself. Sure enough, his shirt was soaked with cold sweat, half-dried in a sticky, uncomfortable mess.
"Allow me to help."
"...I'm fine."
"You might collapse again."
"I'm not some invalid who can't even wash himself."
"...But you are an invalid who can't even recognize his own condition."
"Shut up."
Arahan furrowed her brow. Even this prickly side of Rowen felt refreshingly novel, not unwelcome. But it still irritated her. He had no idea how much she worried, pushing himself like this. Part of her wanted to lock him away and force him to rest. She could stay by his side forever. They could flee to some untouched corner of the world, just the two of them. She could heal his weary soul. If he wished, she'd give him her body too.
But she knew how much that would torment him. He was set on revenge.
It had been a month since they arrived at the port city, swarming with Arkanthian Imperial forces. Rowen had been more relentless than anyone in thinning their numbers. Cloaked in a mantle that dulled detection, he'd slain every imperial soldier in sight without mercy. Soon, corpses piled high enough to fill an entire floor of a building.
No demons appeared. With Kael—the Death King—having taken his own life, they wouldn't emerge anywhere but the frozen wastes. So Rowen's hatred turned fully to the Arkanthian Imperial Army.
It's them. If not for those bastards, our family's peace wouldn't have shattered. We wouldn't have lost our home, wouldn't have fled. Above all, Father might still be alive.
Arahan knew his heart all too well. That's why she watched him with even greater sorrow.
Idiot...!
It was her honest feeling. Hatred consumed the self—she'd seen it too many times, enough to sicken her.
"Young Master, you need rest."
"...I've rested plenty."
"Planning to head out again today?"
"Yeah. Rain or no rain, doesn't matter. They're right there in front of me. I need to kill one more."
"...You'll truly break yourself at this rate."
"What's left to break?"
Arahan frowned at his barbed words. She hated it. Gone was the gentle young master she knew. Of course, she loved even this side of him. But she couldn't bear watching him crumble.
"I'll handle the bastards."
"That defeats the purpose."
"If you insist on meaning, then rest today."
Just for today.
"At the very least, spend this one day with me."
"...But."
"Young Master."
The pressure was palpable. Arahan unleashed a sliver of her fighting spirit toward Rowen. Even he shuddered. She was utterly sincere in her plea.
Rowen yielded easily. He'd planned to stubbornly refuse, but considering how much she'd endured for him this past month, he knew when to step back. Absolutely not because her aura scared him.
...Absolutely not.
"...Fine."
"Heehee, wise choice. Charging ahead blindly means missing so much."
"Yeah..."
Arahan helped him remove his shirt. His strong masculine scent teased her nose. She nearly melted but clung to her senses.
"Arahan?"
"Ahem, it's nothing."
"No... on second thought, I'll go in alone."
"Not allowed. Planning to collapse again?"
"You're so damn nagging."
Arahan flashed a sultry smile at his rough speech. She slipped behind him and embraced him fully, whispering into his ear.
"Today, just leave it all to me. Even you need days like this sometimes."
...Rowen couldn't refuse that pressure.
Damn it all.
*
Rowen sank into the bathtub. His body relaxed languidly, washing away the morning's fatigue. Whether it was the foul weather or their bickering, he wasn't sure. His forward-driving body finally at rest, his muscles unwound.
"How's the temperature?"
"Feels good."
"Just a moment, I'll join you shortly."
"No need for that..."
"These moments, you just gratefully accept."
"Ugh..."
Soon, Arahan entered the bathroom, her body wrapped in a single towel. Rowen didn't turn around. If he gave in to desire and looked, it'd be crossing an irreversible river.
"...Arahan, just my back, got it?"
"Of course. Or do you desire something else?"
Arahan breathed warmly into his ear. He had no idea why, but goosebumps prickled his skin. Not unpleasant ones.
Arahan crouched behind him and shed her towel. Rowen was hyper-aware of the sounds. Lately, his heart had been tangled in complications; these sudden emotions felt alien.
A rough, scrubby texture massaged his back. He felt her fingers intermittently. He didn't turn.
"How's the pressure?"
"...Not bad."
"Heehee, glad to hear."
"A bit harder would be good."
"Then..."
Arahan paused the towel. Something brushed behind him, but he ignored it. Focus, and you lose.
"Straighten your back."
"...What?"
"What are you imagining? It's soap. Nothing strange, so relax."
"Uh, yeah."
"Harboring lewd thoughts? Such impudence!"
"...Arahan, please. Just scrub my back."
Arahan lathered her palms with soap and spread foam across his back, rubbing firmly. Rowen startled at the sudden sensation, but before he could react, her hands slid to his chest.
It felt good, subtly. Arahan had insisted he needed rest. Maybe that's why she tended to him with such devotion. Rowen knew it and stayed still.
But only briefly. As her hands roamed his torso, she pressed her body against his back.
"...Arahan?"
"Shh. Stay still."
She whispered sultrily into his ear. Overwhelmed by her potent allure, Rowen couldn't protest. It was that hidden side of her he'd glimpsed before.
Even from afar, Arahan's body was magnificent. Words failed, but it was near-perfect—curves where they should swell, dips where they should narrow. A wicked softness pressed against him, plush and unforgiving. Slippery soap heightened the sensation.
In this unbearable intimacy, Rowen nearly turned!
"...You said just my back."
"Yes, I'm scrubbing."
"But this is..."
"Heehee, go on, say it."
"...You're teasing."
"No need to worry. Just feel my softness and heal, Young Master."
Arahan lifted his arm. He couldn't resist. Her mildly forceful demeanor left no room for objection. Her touch grazed under his armpit, exploring every nook like a indulgence...
Her hand slid lower. She pressed closer, whispering.
"Don't move."
"You!?"
"...I might just devour you whole?"
It tickled faintly. Even in his past life, nothing like this. Arahan was just unique, he thought.
Her hand ventured further down to his waist. Upper thigh. Slick with soap, it glided toward his center.
"Oh my, Young Master..."
"Wait, this isn't—"
"Young Master. Does it feel good?"
"Arahan, stop."
"Heehee, I refuse."
"...What?"
Rowen whipped around reflexively. Disaster. Her voluptuous form laid bare, he lost his words. Pleased, she licked her lips provocatively.
"I told you not to move."
"No, it was instinct, I swear..."
"Disobedient boys like you might need a little punishment."
Arahan glided to his front. Splash. Water rippled, reflecting off his skin. Rowen couldn't look down. Her ample breasts curved brazenly. Her usually tied-back black hair cascaded to her waist, adding mesmerizing allure. Above all, her eyes and rose-pink lips seduced like a siren's call.
In this dizzying moment, reason teetered.
Arahan hugged him tightly.
"No escaping today, Young Master."
"What are you even—"
Before he finished, she licked his ear. Their thighs touched. Rowen arched back, embarrassed at the near-contact. But Arahan pressed on undeterred.
"Don't run."
"Ugh..."
"Just surrender to me today."
"...I want to rest."
Arahan found it adorable. Madness flickered in her blue eyes. She'd been planning this from the start. He needed rest. She'd heal him. Offering her body to her master—what could be wrong? For the one she loved, nothing was amiss.
Yes, that's it.
"...Right?"
"So come on, Arahan, get out."
"No."
"I can't rest like this."
"I'll let you after we're done."
Arahan licked from his ear down his nape to his chest. The bold stimulation flustered Rowen utterly. This was a new side of her. The Arahan he knew was just a nagging, playful maid.
That's why it threw him. This hidden facet, that mischief he'd seen before. Rowen met her eyes.
They'd entered to wash away his cold sweat. Yet here he was, sweating anew.
"...Arahan?"
"Heehee. Even in rest, stay by my side."
"You're acting weird."
"Didn't you promise? You'd always be with me."
And then, Arahan whispered.
"...Above all, you've forgotten one thing."
"Forgotten something?"
"Yes."
Arahan pressed her breasts against him. Unfazed by his fluster—in fact, thrilled. She knew she should hold back, but drew closer. They needed to close the distance in their alone time. Her mind brimmed with it.
"Arahan...?"
"Yes, your Arahan."
"No, that's not it... your eyes..."
"Heehee... You may have forgotten, but I haven't.
Though she couldn't voice it, her gaze burned with madness. Arahan caressed his cheek and whispered.
"The promise you made a month ago—that you'd grant it. I haven't used it yet♥"