Chapter 5: Another Version 2

Another Version 2

We were quite far from the royal capital, and our strange journey together had taken us quite a distance and time.

On this day, we reached a village that I really wanted to stop in.

...Here is the grave of an acquaintance of mine. As I was reflecting on my life, I wanted to come here and give him an update on my life, no matter where I was heading.

Negotiating with the villagers, we buying the supplies we need for our journey. We don't have any tools we want to replace, so we end up buying mainly on food.

Asurika watched with a bored look on her face, and then she began to wander unsteadily through the village. As she walked, she seemed to have attracted the interest of the villagers, as she looked just like a typical wizard, and was also good looking.

I remember her saying that she hated the countryside and poor people. So I was worried that she might behave badly and get into trouble. That's why I kept my eyes on her again.

But to my surprise, she didn't have the unpleasant look she has when looking down on people, but instead had a gentle expression and treated them with kindness. On the contrary, she was much kinder than the average wizard and solved their requests. It seems she didn't even ask for any payment.

After that, she started to imitate storytelling to the children who had gathered around her, one by one, then in large numbers. I didn't hear what she was saying, but judging by the way the children's expressions changed constantly, she never let them get bored.

Seeing the children's reactions, Asurika's eyes, which used to look a little harsh, narrowed gently.

...She can make a face like that too.

If I were to just talk about my impression of her, she seemed like a really... nice person. Like a kind girl who liked children.

I like people like that.

………….

Oh no, no, no! That haughty Asurika, like that. This is strange. If I look at it too closely, it will probably be bad for my soul.

It's almost dusk. I've secured a place to stay, so I'll go to the graveyard early tomorrow morning, but I'll get some rest today.

At night.

I was sleeping in a soft bed, but I was woken up by a noise.

I also sense the presence of someone.

I was told that thieves might break into an inn without any magical defenses, and how to deal with them. It was thanks to that that I was able to wake up like this. I quickly got moving and――

"Are you awake...?"

Hearing that voice from behind me, I stopped moving.

In fact, I couldn't even move a muscle.

...It's Asurika. Why? We had separate rooms this time.

She asked me if I was awake, so I thought I should answer honestly. But the fact that she had somehow managed to get my room key and come here in the middle of the night was bothering me. The aura of her voice was so alluring that I didn't dare to turn away.

I hadn't intended to pretend to be asleep, but that's what I ended up doing. I simply turned to my side, facing away from her presence, and closed my eyes.

…Then, before long,

From close by, I could hear the rustling of clothes and the warmth of another person. A frog had invaded the same blanket as me.

This is bad. Something similar had happened before, but the difference was that now we were lying in the same bed together. That alone made my heart jump out of my mouth.

What on earth are you planning? No matter how strong a magician Asurika is, if I were to suddenly turn around now... I'm sure I'd be able to pin her down. Don't you understand that?

This is too much. Ever since we left the capital, she has been acting like she's trying to seduce me. This must be it. But even if there's something else going on... for example, she wants to charm me and turn me into her slave. There's no need to go this far.

I wonder if she has no idea what I'm thinking.

Asurika's faint, tiny voice boomed into the back of my head.

"Things have been going well for us lately. Going on adventures with Mizell is fun."

...Is something like that even possible?

To be honest, my trip with Asurika is much more comfortable now than it was a while ago. I am completely charmed by her.

If you're up to something, I want you to do it as soon as possible.

Please don't slowly lift it up and then knock it down.

"About that, ... Mizell? Do you still hate me?"

Bad things to hear. Really.

I remember initially telling her I didn't like her because I was scared of what she might do to me if she wasn't just going to kick me out of the party.

But for now.

She's like a completely different person now... She treats me with kindness. Sometimes she's just normally kind, and other times she teases me in a weird way.

And we do that every day on our journey together.

……….

I didn't reply, just remained silent, when I felt something touch my back.

...It's her hand. It feels so hot it could burn me, I thought.

"I'm sorry I kicked you out of the party. I can't be myself in front of other people... The truth is, I've always wanted to do this."

It's a cliche. It's a total lie. It sounds as if she's been interested in me for a long time, but Asurika certainly hated me. She must have known that for a long time. So it's a total lie.

...But what about now...?

I wonder if this Asurika is the one who still hates me.

Ah. If I'm thinking this, then I'm probably at her mercy.

"If you're okay with it, let's stay together. I like you, so..."

It was a very passionate voice.

("Really?")

That's what she makes me think. My heart is already being manipulated by her. I know that, but I feel like if I were to accept it, something terrible would happen.

I remained silent and waited for Asurika to leave.

Even though my eyes are closed, I'm still fully conscious, and so my senses other than sight become stronger: her hot body temperature, the sound of her breathing in my ears, the sweet smell that makes me dizzy.

"...!"

I mistakenly thought that if I could endure all of this, she would leave. But ...

Asurika gently wrapped her long limbs around me and pressed her body against my back. As soon as I realized that, I focused all my attention on my back.

I feel something soft touching me. And her body is incredibly hot. Is it because she a fire wizard?

If I look back now, will Asurika really accept me...?

...No!! That can't be true. Use the remaining rationality to think about what benefit she has. See through the scheme. That's right, I need to calm down and be wise.

I could feel Asurika's heart beating.

That's a lie. She can even control her heart rate, .... maybe.

I felt the desire to turn around and do something about it, but at the same time I felt the desire to scream out in frustration. I held that desire in and waited for time to pass.

I opened my eyes wide and stared at the wall in the darkness, tracing the grain of the wood in my head. All the while, I was assaulted by her body temperature, her softness, her smell, the heat and sound of her breath, and it drove me crazy.

That night was the worst torture of my life.

It's not that I couldn't sleep at all... I think I did sleep a little.

Fortunately, Asurika had fallen asleep without me realizing it, and it seems she let me go in my dream. To be honest, when Asurika's soft chest left my body, I felt quite empty. But then I was finally able to sleep.

But of course, I didn't sleep very well.

As I sat up quietly, I felt a lethargic weight on my body and my head began to complain about lack of sleep.

I looked next to me. ...It seemed that it wasn't just some erotic dream of my imagination, and Asurika was really there.

She was wearing a thin nightgown, and the first thing that caught my eye was the fullness of her breasts. And then her beautiful, white, voluptuous arms and legs. Just a few hours ago, I had been hugged by her...

This is bad! If I continue to look directly at her, I'll probably try to touch her body myself, and all the time I've endured will be for nothing.

I retreated from the bed and covered Asurika with the blanket. The scene then became somehow more wholesome, and her breathing, which had sounded so hot and seductive before, now seemed soft and cute.

...I endured. I endured it.

I think I have guts. I even feel like I have gained confidence as a person.

It felt like the time just before sunrise. I took out an old, cheap watch from my bag and checked the time.

...I was thinking that if it was still the middle of the night I would go back to sleep in the corner of the room, but it's a good time now.

As planned, let's go visit the grave. ...I want to cool my head.

I quietly stretched my body and started preparing to go outside.

Taking great care not to wake Asurika up.

It was still early morning.

The cemetery in the village where I arrived is so dark that I'm afraid ghosts might appear there. I know that in most areas cremation is the norm, so ghosts like that shouldn't appear very often.

My sleep-deprived head was awakened by the early morning chill. I walked around the cemetery, searching for a gravestone with a name I recognized.

……there you are.

The one who rests here is an old man who I traveled with for a few years when I was young. He was a traveler with adventurer experience, and he saved me from the monster that killed my parents. He may deny it, but he was my adoptive father. Before he died of an illness, he left a will in which I brought his bones and ashes to his hometown here after his burial.

Well then.

I put a lamp on the ground and cleaned the tombstone. After that, I spread out my belongings and arranged his favorite alcohol and preserved foods in front of the tomb as if for he to eat.

After offering a prayer, I took the offerings. While munching on the dried meat I had saved for myself, I called out to the old man's grave.

"Bernard... why do girls smell so good?"

I felt like I was being told, "I don't care."

Sorry.

But when it comes to my latest worries or the latest developments I need to report, I can't talk about them without her being mentioned

Asurika. To be honest, I'm constantly thinking about her. If she's up to something, I'm probably just letting it all happen. It was especially tough just now.

Even though I tried to cool my head by getting away from her, I still ended up like this. Her existence now occupies most of my mind.

"I was no good at all in the royal capital. But after Asurika came along, something changed. Maybe I'll try to become an adventurer again."

Yes, ever since I got some fighting advice from her, somehow everything has been going well.

Many people had told me that there was no way I could make a living by exterminating monsters or exploring labyrinths...

During this short journey, the sword was able to reach the monsters. I was able to sense and use magical powers that I had never known existed within my body.

Thanks to Asurika. None other than her, the girl who had looked down on me until now...

And so, the long-forgotten desire to be a true adventurer was rekindled within me.

By the time I had finished talking with the deceased and having a sumptuous breakfast in front of the grave, the morning sun had finally come over the village. I could hear the sounds and voices of the villagers going about their daily lives.

I guess it's about time I went back to the inn. I left without saying anything to Asurika.

"Well then, Bernard... hmmm...?"

I stood up and was about to say my farewell.

I felt something was off. ...The voices coming from the village were noisy. Something wasn't normal.

Armed with only my sword, I decided to go and see what the commotion was all about.

The villagers were running frantically, heading for the outside of the village, as if they were running away from something.

No, this looks familiar. Yes, they're running away.

It's a monster.

Just like when the village where I was born was destroyed... a monster capable of doing something about the barrier invaded the village.

I holds my sword while fighting against the waves of people.

My body trembled with righteous indignation at my situation, but even more so, my legs froze in fear. I moved at the speed of a caterpillar.

What am I doing? With the sword in my hands, I must protect this village. This is where my family rests. If I don't fight now, I will literally never be able to pray to Bernard again.

Even if I'm scared, I have to go. It's not like when I was a kid anymore.

...One step. I somehow managed to muster the courage from within myself to take that first step. And then, at last, my legs started to move like a normal person's.

Soon we arrived at the square, where there were no people.

There was a large, sturdy-looking golem-patterned monster there. It was no match for a sword, but I had to get rid of it somehow.

Oh, this is not the time to be thinking about such things. There's another person over there.

There is a person at the golem's feet. It seems she can't stand up. She will be killed at any moment. I have to rescue her from there――

"Eh?"

Finally, I realized who it was.

...Asurika.

Asurika was lying on the ground in a daze, crying.

The moment I saw that, something inside me exploded.

I came to my senses as I felt the blade shatter.

The ground was littered with fragments of the blade I had been wielding and the remains of the golem.

It really seems like I did this myself.

When I swing the blade in, I thought it was hard, but I didn't care and swung it through, and it cut through. The rest was just a matter of work, and it didn't take long for it to become like this.

…What power is this now?

I stared at my right hand, which had brought about this situation. But there was no way I could understand anything by looking at it.

But I felt something. It was as if I was trapping a tremendous amount of energy in my body. It was as if a plug had been put in place to stop all the energy that had been leaking out. That was the feeling I got.

Is this my magic...?

"...Mizell."

"!! Ah, Asurika! Are you okay!?"

What am I doing? I don't care about this power. I throw away the remains of the sword in my left hand and run over to the girl.

She tried to stand up using her staff as support, but she couldn't, and she nearly fell again.

I accepted Asurika's body.

...She is in tatters. How could Asurika have been so injured by something who even I could have defeated?

Her face was covered in tears and she looked very sad. Asurika was always so beautiful and strong, but now she was like this... This shouldn't have happened.

I need to get her checked out by a village healer quickly. She may have a broken bone, or something worse.

"Asurika, I'll bring someone right away. It's best that you stay here."

"...Ah, it's fine. Probably. Just keep it like this... Leave it like this. I'm healing it myself now..."

That's what she said, but her posture is bad. I watched Asurika's face and slowly, slowly laid her down on the ground.

Asrika is currently treating her wounds with light magic, but I think her condition is dire and she will need a doctor or healer's help

But I can't rule out the possibility that a new monster will attack again. I guess I'll just have to wait and see until Asurika is able to move again...

"... Asurika."

I sit beside her and look at her face as she lies down.

I wondered why this was happening to her.

There could be a number of answers, such as the monster having some special trait that suited to counter Asurika alone, or she was caught off guard.

But I think she could have retreated before it got to this point, or just ignored it from the start.

So what's the real reason why she ended up like this?

"Were you trying to protect this village?"

Even if it meant becoming so worn out, she wanted to protect this place where people live from monsters.

"...Hmm? Ah, I guess so..."

She said it so bluntly. I wonder if she didn't mean it that way. But her actions were exactly what I imagine a "real adventurer" would do.

I don't know what's going on in Asurika's mind, but right now... I feel a sense of respect for her.

"Asurika. Thank you for trying to protect our village. This is my...family's home."

"Hmm? Is that so...? You're from here?"

"No. The people who adopted me are from here."

"...Hmm."

After a while, Asurika sat up on her own.

And then he stood up. This time, she wasn't about to fall.

"A-Are you okay...?!"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, but I'd like to take it easy for the rest of the day. I'll go back to the inn..."

"Ah, Asurika! Umm..."

As she was about to turn around, I called out to her.

"What? Oh, that's right. Don't you dare disappear while I'm sleeping again, okay?"

"Y-yes. Anyway, I want to give you something as a thank you. Whatever you want, just say it."

"...Huh?"

Asurika's complexion was beginning to regain some of its color, and she soon broke into her usual, somewhat eerie smile.

Ah. The face you make when you tease me. Even at a time like this?

She narrowed her eyes, looked at me with her crimson pupils, and that sweet, passionate voice came out of her mouth.

"Well then... how about I say... a kiss?"

"……Huh?"

Kiss?

Wait, um? That one?

"Wh, what... Huh?! No, that's..."

"Whatever I want, you said."

The Asurika slowly approached me, and soon after, she was within easy reach of me, able to do whatever she wanted with me.

The scars of battle were still visible on her face as she gazed up at me, but even so, she was incredibly pretty and cute, and her crimson eyes looked moist.

Asrika's face is getting closer. Her breath is on my face. Is that a lie? You wouldn't do something like that...

I instinctively closed my eyes tight. The smell of her hair tickled my nose...

"Ba~ka, I'm just kidding..."

When he whispered that close to my neck, I felt a tingling sensation down my spine.

Ugh... this is bad. This has become a habit for me.

Even at a time like this, Asurika... What is this?

When I opened my eyes, Asurika had taken a step back, looked at me with that seductive smile, and pointed to her lips with her index finger.

"Once Mizell gets stronger, I'll give you one."

"...!"

What are you talking about?

That's enough. I want you to hurry to the inn. You can order me to do anything you want as long as it's not a strange request. Please rest.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you."

Just when I thought that was the end of the story, she remembered something else.

As if taking advantage of the moment when I thought she wouldn't tease me any more, she... came hugging me from the front. Her arms were around my back. She buried her face in my chest, so I couldn't see her expression.

My heart leapt as I realized the situation.

Asurika is...

"Thank you for helping me."

She spoke softly, in a very weak, tearful voice.

And then she quickly leaves me.

For just a moment, Asurika looked at me and smiled shyly.

Just turn around and go the other way.

Unable to move, I just followed her small back with my eyes.

……….

The face she makes when she's trying to confuse me, and the face she has now.

They don't look like the same person's faces. Which one is the real her?

I don't know, I don't know. If that face is also something she make just to trick and playing me, then that's ridiculous.

The various expressions she's shown since we were alone come to mind.

The way she helps me. The gentle expression she has towards the children. The way she sometimes shows a different side to her usual self.

The way she was injured so much while trying to protect this village..

...Ah, it's no good.

I only managed to find a reason why it was okay to fall in love.

Asurika was sitting up in bed reading a book. I waited until she had finished eating the special fruit I had cut for her earlier, and then I spoke to her.

"Asurika."

"Yeah?"

"I... I love you."

"...Huh?"

Since I said it so suddenly, she seemed to wonder what I was talking about.

I already love Asurika. But it's not something that can be neatly described as respect or affection or anything like that. As a member of the opposite sex. I want to make Asurika mine and do something with her... I think it's a feeling based on desire.

It was something that she had planted in me, nurtured in me. She had tempted me so much, wasn't this meant to happen?

What if she was up to something?

Now we may know that.

So, knock me off my feet, or use these feelings to control me, whatever you like.

"...Ahahaha! At this timing? What's that, ah, that's strange."

She burst out laughing, the funniest laugh I'd heard since we began traveling together.

I guess it's pretty funny after all. Just as I expected, I developed feelings for you.

That's fine. I want to see even just a little bit of your true heart. If possible, I want you to laugh as much as you like.

After all these soul-wrenching pranks, I'm about to confess my servile love to her, and she's my first love. My life is going to be a mess.

...Asurika.

After laughing for a while, she called me over, took my hand, and like always, came within touching distance of my heart.

"In that case, just like today... You'll protect me, right...? You'll stay with me, right? I don't want to get banished, you know?"

Perhaps it was because she was injured and weak, but at that moment Asurika's eyes looked somehow... muddy and dark.

Although it seemed like she was accepting my love, something was different. I still didn't think she had any feelings for me. At the very least, I didn't think she had any romantic feelings for me.

And... I had a feeling that she was telling me her true feelings.

What could this mean? She was one of the most skilled magicians in the royal capital... but perhaps she wanted to stay away from dangerous battles?

So you want to use me, the weakest of all, as a shield to protect yourself?　

...No...but...

……….

at least.

It seems she wants to continue this strange journey for two for a while longer.