The Cross of Memories #10
The Cross of Memories #10
I sank deep into thought after hearing Kate's proposal.
She wanted to atone for the sin of toying with my body... by offering up her own?
It was shockingly absurd.
But I had no real reason to refuse.
Provided Kate was actually serious about this.
I swept my gaze across the dim, gloomy stone chamber and spoke.
"I've got a proposal of my own."
"Wh-what is it?"
"Trying something this embarrassing in a dreary place like this is kind of a mood-killer. Let's go outside. After we get clear of these underground waterways, once the after-party's over. I think I could relax and enjoy it a lot more that way."
"That makes sense."
Kate looked convinced by my suggestion. Honestly, clinging to each other inside this dark stone chamber was viscerally off-putting. Even kissing was impossible to properly enjoy thanks to that cinnamon stench flooding my nose.
For both our sakes, finishing things outside was the better call.
Of course, I didn't forget to give Kate an out, either.
"Assuming you still have the stomach for it by then."
"Huh?"
"I'm not interested in forcing a woman who doesn't want it. If you genuinely want to apologize to me, show up at the after-party spot. If your heart's not in it, don't come. I'll take the hint and head home."
"......."
At my words, Kate hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod. She'd accepted the condition I set. I'd given her an escape route. If she still showed up after hearing that, it would mean Kate was truly prepared to atone.
"In exchange, I'm moving the after-party to lunch. I want to eat fast and get on with it."
"W-with me...?"
"Yeah."
"I understand."
And so we made our promise.
After a short rest, we packed our things and left the stone chamber. I could tell eight hours had passed by how many times we'd flipped the hourglass. When we reached the underground waterway plaza after exiting the passage, the only thing left was the scattered corpses of Rattmen.
"......."
"......."
Maybe it was the perfect moment to share some reflections while gazing at the Rattmen dead, but not a single word passed between Kate and me. Even as we crossed the plaza and started walking through the underground tunnels, an awkward silence just hung there. Naturally. After making that kind of lewd promise, trying to chat normally would've been the truly awkward thing.
'What's she thinking? Is she already planning to bolt?'
All I could wonder was what the hell was going through Kate's head as she followed behind me. Was she considering breaking the promise right this moment? I mean, I had handed her an escape hatch. If she didn't show at the after-party, I couldn't exactly hold her feet to the fire.
'Well, can't be helped if she runs.'
Thinking that, I silently pushed forward. Maybe the intense territorial dispute had drastically thinned their numbers, because almost no Rattmen blocked our path.
"Kiiiiiik."
One did appear, but it was a Rattman riddled with wounds all over its body. I lashed out with a Water Whip and dropped it without a fight. After that, we didn't run into any more. We escaped the underground waterway far faster than we'd entered it.
The entrance to the underground waterway.
Climbing the ladder, we finally set foot on the surface. Judging by the sun, it was morning. To have our after-party at lunchtime, I'd need to wash up fast.
"The Moon's Blessing Tavern. You know where it is, right?"
"Yes."
"Let's meet there. I'll be waiting."
After that brief exchange, Kate and I went our separate ways. I really didn't feel like heading back to the inn where I was staying, so I decided to rent a bath at a nearby place and scrub down. It took a long damn time to scour the reek of the underground waterway off my body. The moment that wretched cinnamon scent finally vanished from under my nose, I felt like I could breathe again.
I changed into fresh clothes and set off immediately for the tavern. I grabbed a table at the Moon's Blessing Tavern and started waiting for Kate.
'Is she really going to come? It's been a while.'
Lunchtime was nearly over, but Kate was nowhere. I was just sitting alone at the table, killing time pointlessly.
Since I'd never held any expectations in the first place, there was no real disappointment. I figured I'd wait thirty more minutes, tops, and then head back to the inn. Rebecca would be waiting for me, after all.
Tick! Tock!
The clock on the wall noisily hammered its second hand. The lazy hour hand had already crept past 2 PM before I knew it. That was it. Kate probably had no intention of ever coming. Maybe this whole incident would fill her with guilt, and she'd go back to avoiding me, just like when we first met.
'A fellow kid from the orphanage I finally managed to track down...'
Was our connection really going to get severed over a freak accident like this? Even by my standards, that was some rotten luck. I let out a sigh and rose from my seat. At that very moment, the voice I'd been waiting for flew at me from behind.
"Mongma-nim."
The instant I turned around, I couldn't believe my eyes. The person standing there was unmistakably Kate. The blonde nun in her habit was mumbling behind my back.
Her hair was damp, like she'd washed in a rush. A pleasant scent drifted from her body. I was glad she'd shown up, but I couldn't fathom why she was so late.
"...I went to report the quest completion to the church. The elders interrogated me in excruciating detail, so I couldn't help the delay. It isn't as though I came late on purpose..."
Kate rattled off the excuse-like explanation.
"Alright, I get the picture. Why don't you sit?"
"...Okay."
It felt awkward keeping her standing there, so I had Kate sit down at the table. Once seated, Kate couldn't meet my eyes, acting like she'd committed some cardinal sin. She was a nun, after all—a nun toying with a man was a scandalous thing. If rumors got around, Kate could be kicked out of the church.
Well, not that I wanted to see her go through something that awful.
"Lift your head up. You said you'd pay me back, right? So act as brazen as usual...! Honestly, that'd be better."
"...Even so."
"Haa."
First things first, ordering food seemed like the best move.
Wouldn't she perk up a bit once she had something in her stomach? I had no idea why I was the one worrying about Kate when I was the one who'd been molested, but there I was, worrying. That dejected look really didn't suit the blonde nun.
"Order over here!"
After we placed our order, dishes started arriving at the table one after another. A golden-brown grilled steak, salad and soup, lavishly prepared appetizers. It was a sumptuous spread, a full 2 Silver in total. My treat. Payback for her handing over that expensive orb.
"Eat plenty. Food's never a waste."
The moment we started eating, Kate's expression brightened, just a little. I was finally able to have a proper conversation with her. Not about the embarrassing act waiting for us after the after-party, of course. There were far too many eyes around to bring up a topic like that.
"Tell me more about the guys from the orphanage."
"Ah, you mean that?"
"You said one of them ended up a tailor at the royal palace?"
"Well, that friend's story might be a bit long..."
"Long is fine. Tell me."
Talking about our old friends was the only way I could finally get Kate to open up. I stayed diligent with my reactions as she told her stories. It wasn't fake encouragement, either. The stories Kate told me about our old friends were genuinely interesting.
"A banquet was held at the Kratel Royal Palace five years ago, and by chance, my tailor friend's work became the talk of the event."
As I listened to her long-winded story, I couldn't help thinking one thing.
I wanted to keep talking intimately with Kate like this from now on.
After all these long years, she was an old friend I'd finally managed to meet again. Even after we did what came after the after-party, I wanted to see her again with a smile on her face. Maybe that was greedy of me, but at the very least, that was how I felt.
'What should I do?'
As I chatted with Kate, I was constantly lost in thought.
Trying to come up with a way to wrap this whole mess up well, somehow.
*
After the meal ended.
I paid the tavern owner and stepped outside. Kate cautiously followed behind me. The time had come to begin what we'd promised, but Kate made no move to bolt. She just stood on the street, watching me with a slightly tense expression.
"How shall we do this?"
"......."
"Please do as you wish, Mongma-nim."
Since she told me to do as I wished, I took Kate's hand.
When I gave our joined hands a light tug, Kate started to follow me.
"Are we going to an inn?"
"No."
"Th-then where?"
I didn't answer her question. I just walked silently ahead, holding her hand. Maybe it was the midsummer heat, because our clasped hands had grown clammy with sweat before we knew it.
"Here."
The moment I finally stopped walking, Kate looked utterly shocked. Because the place I'd stopped was a dim alleyway. The entrance of the alley opened onto a main street, with passing citizens in plain view. Kate looked back and forth between me and the alley entrance, completely flustered.
"N-no, we can't. People can see us here."
"You said I could do as I pleased. You're not thinking of backing out now, are you?"
"It's not that, but please!"
Kate looked at me pleadingly. Her moist blue eyes were fixed on me. She must have been mortified at the idea of doing something so exhibitionist in a public spot.
"Even if you beg, it's no use."
"Hnng."
As I approached, Kate retreated a step at a time. But after drifting back bit by bit, she was eventually forced to stop. The alley wall blocked her path; she couldn't retreat any further.
I raised my hand toward the frozen Kate. In that instant, she squeezed her eyes shut. Her cheeks were flushed crimson. I wrapped my raised hand around Kate's waist and pulled her close.
"Eep."
The moment Kate flinched, I pressed my lips to hers.
A kiss, our lips layered together.
I couldn't be skillful from the very start, since Kate kept her mouth stubbornly shut.
After holding her for a long, long while, I finally pulled my lips away and spoke again.
"You said you wanted to try kissing."
"...Yes."
"Then open your mouth a little."
Kate didn't refuse my command. She was the one who had promised I could touch her anywhere, after all. Her eyes still closed, Kate hesitated, then parted her lips slightly.
I sealed my mouth over her full lips again.
The soft, warm sensation of our lips touching.
I gently licked Kate's parted lips with my tongue. After teasing her lips with the tip of my tongue, I gave her lower lip a soft suck. I savored every corner of her lips, bit by bit. Maybe the tender sensation made her unconsciously relax, because Kate's legs wobbled. I pulled her waist in tighter to keep her from falling.
With our bodies pressed together, I relentlessly toyed with Kate's lips. I didn't stop my tongue until her lips were slick and wet with my saliva. Once I'd teased her lips to my satisfaction, I pushed my tongue through the gap. I rubbed my tongue against Kate's warm one.
"...Stick your tongue out a bit more."
No answer came, but with a languid exhale, Kate obediently offered me her tongue. I coiled my tongue around her shy offering. The moment our tongues intertwined, a pleasure like an electric current shot through my whole body. To feel that pleasure even deeper, I skillfully pressed the attack on Kate. I poured every technique I'd learned kissing Rebecca into Kate alone.
"M-Mongma-nim."
Kate's palms pushed against my chest like she was embarrassed, but I didn't let her go. I hugged her waist tighter and caressed her tongue. Every time I grazed a sensitive spot, Kate let out a hot breath. I persistently worked the spot that made Kate feel it the most. I didn't stop my caresses until the strength drained from the hands pushing against my chest.
"Haa... haa..."
At last, once all the strength had left Kate's body, I untangled our tongues. I carefully broke the kiss and pulled her waist toward me with both arms. Kate leaned her body against me and stared up with a wistful look in her eyes.
"Are you going to do more...?"
"Do you want more?"
Kate bowed her head and shut her mouth.
I decided to tell her what I was thinking. It was a hard thing to say, but I absolutely had to say it at this point. Because if I didn't, I really would cross the line with Kate.
"I'm ending it here."
"E-ending it!?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
The moment I said I would stop, Kate stared at me, her eyes glistening with the hint of tears. Her hand clasped the hem of my clothes. Just like a little child. A tear, suddenly beading up and sliding down her cheek, shook my heart.
"Wh-why are you stopping? Did I seem disgusting? Am I not to Mongma-nim's liking? Or does the sight of a selfish, manipulative bitch like me just make you sick...?"
"Because if we go further, we'll cross the line. We wouldn't be able to hang out comfortably like this anymore."
If I crossed the line with Kate, sure, I'd feel good for tonight. But there'd be too much fallout to deal with afterward. Too much for a Dream Demon like me to handle alone. Especially when I thought of Rebecca, who was probably waiting for me at the inn right now.
I faced Kate and opened my mouth. I prayed my sincerity would reach her.
"I can't afford to lose an old friend. I want to keep meeting you from now on. You're one of the few bonds I've made as a Dream Demon. I don't want to carelessly cross the line."
Had my words gotten through? Kate buried her face in my chest and spoke in a voice thick with sobs.
"Me too."
"I don't want to lose you either, Mongma-nim."
"Even though so very long has passed since I first met Mongma-nim at the orphanage."
In that fleeting instant, Kate lifted her head and looked at me. Her tear-wet eyes gazed into mine.
"...Because now, I've finally realized my own feelings."
That single heartfelt phrase echoed vividly in my ears.