“I already did.” Oh, that’s right. Oops.
“I mean, spiritually or, like, physically, you kno— Ngh—!”
She smothered my lips with hers, earnest yet clumsy. Her sweet smell was so close it made me dizzy. As our breathing became hot and heavy, we wove our tongues against the other’s until they almost melted together; the border between her and me seemed to dissolve. It was as if we had always been one. I wanted to tell her the millions of dirty thoughts in my mind, but the desire to put my mouth to better use was stronger. But first, I repositioned myself just the slightest to connect us even more deeply.
Words of desire escaped our lips, delirious with passion, wild as a beast’s, frenzied and urgent. There were many more things that still remained unsaid between us, bonds that needed mending. They said all flames must die; perhaps then, this love would one day flicker out as well.
But even so—
—I thought.
Even so, especially so, this moment right now is worth an eternity.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ten days, Lana and I lazed away, enjoying each other’s company. The moment we got back to camp, Éa chewed us both out. Lanceil smiled knowingly when she saw us, Machina busied herself with chores, pretending not to know anything, and Yukikaze, who had returned, was bouncing around in the meadow with the flying rabbits. Not even Lady Mythlanica backed me up.
“Honestly, I could’ve kept going for a long while,” I confessed and immediately had my wife confiscated. Éa took her and Lanceil to the city to meet up with Shuna and Lis for a sleepover. We’d made enough money on the last expedition to live luxuriously for a while. It didn’t hurt to let loose and splurge every so often.
I’d handed over the items we had inherited from Rhora’s victims to the trade group. They sold it off for us, starting with the gear that could be appraised for monetary value. We still didn’t know how much we’d get in total, but at this point, we were already at seven hundred thirty gold. Mage’s staves from ancient times were far more powerful catalysts than recent ones and went for truly exorbitant prices.
I’d tried to give Freyja and her two companions a bonus for their work, but they refused to take anything aside from the fee we had originally agreed on. Inept as she was at taking care of herself, the Champion of Light had a steadfast sense of morals.
Our legacy items continued racking up coin. Even after appraisal fees and taxes, we’d still have a huge chunk of cash left, enough to split evenly among all our party members, buy land, build a house, and purchase everything you needed for daily life. What caught my attention, though, were the items that couldn’t be sold. Most had basically disintegrated to dust, but some still worked just fine. I’d asked Machina to analyze them but got an Evaluation Access Denied by Higher Authority error message. This was just my gut feeling, but no matter how you looked at it, those items were just as—no, more advanced—than some we had in the modern world.
The biggest puzzle, though, was that door that could only be opened with an AI core unit and the cosmography inscribed on its walls. It had to be somehow, even if only tangentially, related to my ultimate destination, the fifty-sixth floor. My questions only led to more mysteries. To have any hope of solving them, I’d have to go back and explore the dungeon.
………Yet.
“Souya, could I have a moment of your time?” Lanceil returned to camp alone.
“Sure, what’s up?” I asked, feigning ignorance, though I could guess what she came to say.
“Would you consider serving His High—my father?”
“Sorry. I can’t.”
I didn’t trust King Remlia. He was a good king, a good ruler—but I never appreciated that. I preferred a king who chose to walk on a path to his own respectable death. I wanted a sovereign who would succeed in the battlefield or die fighting for his people, the kind of king who shone during the darkest hours, in bitter warfare.
In other words, King Remlia hadn’t done anything wrong necessarily; I just had a weird concept of my quintessential king. If I were to enter his service while ignoring my ideals, sooner or later, I’d betray him in the worst possible way.
“I thought you might say as much.”
“Hmm?” What did that mean?
“I take back what I said before. I want to see the outside world. If you plan on going somewhere, you must take me with you—please.”
“I’m not planning anything like that, but why?” I lied.
“Oh, I simply wanted to let you know, Sou— Oh, should I call you sire instead? Is it overly familiar of me to call you by your name?”
“Call me whatever you like.”
“Then I’ll see what my heart says each day and use that. So, Souya. I wanted to tell you that no matter what choices lay before you now, I will follow you to the ends of the world.”
She’d seen through me. But I had to be cruel to be kind here. “And if I said I can’t trust you?”
“We appear to have a misunderstanding. Right now, I am by your side because I choose to be. To be truthful, His Highness ordered me to spy on you for him,” she confessed. “But I refused.”
“You did what?” Hold up, she’s not here to keep tabs on me?
“I refused. Then once again, I told him, ‘I leave to serve at Souya’s side.’ He struggled to comprehend at first but eventually accepted my wishes. Essentially, my father has given me away.” Lanceil’s hands balled into tight fists.
Wait, what’s that supposed to mean? “Sorry, I’m not following.”
“I am fully aware that, as a beastmaid, I will never have the opportunity to properly wed. However, as your consort, I can stay by your side for the rest of my life.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
“I am under no orders. I am simply choosing to stay by the man who has my heart. My father has given his permission; he has allowed his daughter to go out into the world on her own. That’s what I am telling you.”
“Ahhh, gotcha.” Still no idea.
“Whether you leave or stay, I will follow you—until the final days of my life.”
“………But what’s your real goal?” I still couldn’t trust her.
“That is my real goal, my real desire. Souya, do you really think I would be capable of deceiving you?”
“Honestly, not at all.” A quick flashback of the memories I had of Lanceil, and I was reminded of how I had always been able to read her emotions. She was impulsive, or rather, not great at keeping secrets. Maybe I should say she had a straightforward personality and held no ulterior motives. But then that would mean she actually felt something for me.
“What could you possibly like about me?”
“Hmm? Everything.” Hadn’t seen the unconditional acceptance coming. “More specifically, you are the man who defeated me in battle; you are kind and an excellent cook. I also find it adorable that you’re something of a late bloomer. One second, I feel as if I’m proudly watching my little brother grow up, then the next, your acceptance of all manner of diversity reminds me of my older brother. A formidable power secretly dwells in you; though that said, your lack of caution toward yourself awakens my protective instincts as well.”
So wait, is self-interest her motivation? Or her heartfelt feelings? I’m getting even more confused.
“But I have Lana, so—”
“And I have received her permission.” You did all that groundwork already? I take back what I said; you’re totally capable of deception.
“Elven women, not to mention a onetime elven princess, are raised in a polygamous culture and understand men’s proclivities. Heroes crave sexual satisfaction. Even my father, despite all appearances to the contrary, has had more than his share of women.”
“I’m not the hero type,” I instinctively retorted.
“But you are a hero.” Lanceil fixed her eyes burning with feverish passion on me. “Anyone who can vanquish a hero is a fine hero in their own right.”
Can I be sure this beastmaid isn’t just happy I slew a heim hero? I thought with groundless suspicion. Women were complicated and mysterious. I didn’t have nearly enough experience to understand what went on in their minds.