By Zephyria =======
“Listen carefully. There are no proper doctors on this island. You can tell just by looking at the state of this place. Still, if you swallow just a few drops, I can get some medicine that will likely help you get through the hardest part of the crisis. You’ll be able to fall into a peaceful sleep for a while.”
Silver paused for a moment.
“However, it’s a narcotic. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Stuffy Field Mouse stared blankly at Silver. The pitch-black pupils, enveloped in an amber hue, repeatedly dilated and contracted. There was no sign of understanding anything in those eyes.
Stuffy Field Mouse’s lips moved. Slowly, as if pushing out each syllable one by one.
“Good… scent…”
“It’s sandalwood. You lit it.”
“Iris… scent of iris…”
“It’s sandalwood.”
Silver inhaled. There was no scent of iris.
“It is sandalwood. Where did you get such high-quality fragrant wood powder? Did you steal it from your senior…”
Silver couldn’t finish the sentence. Stuffy Field Mouse wasn’t listening to anything. He was simply staring at Silver. It was the vacant gaze characteristic of a dying person, yet it held Silver with a strangely powerful force.
The words he intended to say felt as if they had dried up somewhere in his chest. Silver could no longer open his mouth.
The sound of the rain passed. A spark popped from the brazier. The flames surged upward, scattering a brief, bright light throughout the room. Furthermore, the sandalwood scent, growing stronger and stronger, deeply filled Silver’s body. His consciousness gradually clouded over in that enchantingly sweet aroma.
At some point, a distortion of the senses occurred, the kind one only experiences when intoxicated by drugs. Everything around him warped and curved. Colors became vivid enough to pierce the eyes. A single moment stretched on endlessly.
The room felt as narrow as a birdcage. The man was too close. He couldn’t distinguish between the heat of the brazier and the man’s body temperature.
Silver gazed blankly at the man. He knew. The object of his gaze was undoubtedly the sick man. The flush on his cheeks, the hazy eyes, and the slightly parted lips were merely symptoms of a fever, not an expression of desire. The beads of sweat rolling smoothly along the contours of his firm muscles were also purely physiological signs. The man was desperately fighting against the heat burning his own body. He knew it all. And yet, somewhere inside Silver’s body throbbed with a dull ache. A sense of restlessness, which he hadn’t even felt when a target deviated from their expected path, belatedly rushed in.
Was there a narcotic mixed into the sandalwood powder?
It’s because of the scent. Or perhaps because of the heavy sound of the rain.
He should have turned his head away by now. However, Silver remained motionless, continuing to stare only at the man. The man also did not take his eyes off Silver.
Suddenly, the man raised a hand. That extremely slow movement made his arm seem so heavy that it appeared nearly impossible to lift. The man’s fingers fumbled for Silver’s wrist and then gripped it.
Silver flinched. The strength in the man’s grip was weak. However, the heat dwelling in that hand was as hot as a furnace. Each finger felt like a branding iron heated in fire. Held in that grip, Silver felt his own pulse beating anxiously. It felt as if the man’s body temperature was spreading through his pulse.
Let go.
Silver said only in his mind. The man did not let go of Silver’s wrist.
The sound of the rain surrounded them like a fortress wall. It felt as if this room alone had been severed from the outside world. The sandalwood scent became so intense that Silver could almost taste it on the tip of his tongue. The brazier intermittently scattered crackling sounds. The man’s fingers tightened slightly more around Silver’s wrist.
Suddenly, the other hand grabbed the nape of Silver’s neck. It was a speed so fast it was hard to believe it came from a man suffering from a severe fever. The fingers pressed firmly against the nape of Silver’s neck. Without time to react, without even a single breath, Silver’s head was pulled down. The distance between the two collapsed like a sail with a severed rope.
Lips met lips. The feel of the man’s lips was dry, rough, and hot. Silver’s entire body froze completely. The thoughts in his head sank as if they had lost their floor, and nothing came to mind. Only his five senses became excessively sensitive. The sandalwood scent. The heat permeating his lips. The sound of the rain.
Suddenly, everything became clear. His blurred consciousness cleared instantly, and the surrounding colors settled into a dull tone. Silver jerked his body up. He pushed the man away roughly and stepped back.
“You.”
Silver swallowed and spoke again.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The man did not answer. His eyes were closed. The hand that had been firmly pressing the nape of his neck just a moment ago lay limp on the blanket, motionless. Only the sound of breathing flowed out of his mouth like a low whistle.
Silver caught his breath and looked down at the man. The residual heat remaining on his lips cooled slowly. A sudden impulse to just kill the bastard surged up.
No, it’s a waste of energy. If I wait, the high fever will finish him.
In a few hours. Perhaps even sooner.
Silver wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He pulled the blanket up to his shoulders and lay back down. Even as time passed, the sound of the rain did not subside. It felt as if thousands of fists were striking the roof all at once.
Despite the noise, the sound of the man’s breathing was clearly audible to Silver. The labored panting. The terrible heat emanating from the man’s body. Even though they lay with space between them, the heat was so intense he felt his side being pressed down by its weight.
It’s proof that he’s dying.
Silver repeated to himself like a mantra. That young, firm, muscular body would not last long and would eventually collapse. Leaving only the sweat-soaked blanket as a memento.
If I just wait a few hours.
At some point, Silver stood up abruptly. He snatched the robe sprawled on the floor and threw it over his body with a violent motion. Without looking back once, he opened the door.
The torrential rain poured in. The streaks of rain were thick enough to block his vision. The outside world was pitch black.
He slammed the door shut. Silver walked into the cold darkness.
* * *
〔Reward activated.〕
A voice pierced through his ears. Wolf, who had looked up unconsciously, flinched.
The pungent smell of salt and tar. Boisterous laughter poured from the deck, and the sound of footsteps thundered. The lamp hanging from the ceiling of the narrow corridor spun around. Everything was exactly as before. Except for one thing.
Something was glowing faintly in the air, appearing out of nowhere. It was a sight as if a well-polished glass window was emitting a pale light of its own. Letters began to bloom one by one in the center of the window.
〔Target: You〕
:: Reward: 〔Self-Protection Right〕
:: Number of Uses: Unlimited
The letters stopped their progression. As if someone had put down a quill, wondering if they should add a footnote at this point.
‘Wolf? What are you doing?’
Someone thrust their face toward Wolf. The shimmering river seemed to distort, blocking the view like a wall. The other person snapped their fingers in front of Wolf’s eyes.
‘Hey, do you see a giant spider or something? What are you staring at?’
A short silence. The other person suddenly raised their voice.
‘Wol…!’
Only then did Wolf stiffly raise a finger.
‘Can’t you see that…?’
The moment the other person’s name left his mouth, it flew away like a void. Wolf only stared at the window in the air.
‘What? For now… I don’t see any bugs…’
‘Like a window… like a small door… You can’t see that?’
The letters continued rapidly. Wolf followed the text with his eyes as if possessed. The surroundings became noisy. The other person shook Wolf’s shoulder and shouted, ‘Wolf! Wake up! Don’t just stand there, wave your left hand! If you do that, the evil spirit…!’
Again, a voice. It carved through all the surrounding noise and dug into his ears.
〔…Confirmation of murderous intent toward
〔Activation conditions for
〔The choice to execute activation is yours.〕
〔You are given only one opportunity to refuse the support of
Wolf’s inner self whispered urgently. Refuse it. It’s the temptation of an evil spirit.
You know. That’s like a lucky quill from a fairy tale. It’s like a doll you must never touch on the night of a full moon.
〔If you wish to refuse, simply say ‘I refuse’.〕
〔If you wish for support, simply say ‘I do not refuse’.〕
In a very short amount of time, numerous fragments of thought collided. Didn’t I forget? I vowed that I wouldn’t even accept a reward from an evil spirit if they gave it. No, I have to take it. That child saved Uncle first. Even though he knew Uncle was going to torture and kill me.
No! You could be in danger! Don’t take it!
No, I must take it. Danger? I can handle it.
Children only become happy when bad adults disappear. I only became close to the Prince after Mother died. If Uncle dies, I will become the first priority to that child.
89 – Hell’s Execution Order