REFDL 58

Tap, tap.

I’d considered the possibility of tunnels branching out in all directions like an ant hill.

Surprisingly, the interior wasn’t very deep.

About 5 meters in, the space widened, and that was the end of it.

There was a miniature version of the tree I’d seen in the plaza in the corner. Vines sprouting from it also served as light bulbs.

It was an armory. All kinds of blades were lined up.

Swords, spears… That one looks like a Green Dragon Crescent Blade¹. What’s that? What is it? Why does that sword look like a snake?

I checked the other holes one after another.

A food storage room, bedrooms, a training ground, all kinds of living spaces appeared.

I hesitated briefly in the bathroom, but I couldn’t resist after seeing fresh clothes and towels that smelled like sunlight.

I shed my wet clothes at the speed of light.

I’ll wash up in 1 minute!

Then I looked at Kaelus with a ‘What do I do now?’ expression. Kaelus smiled as he sensibly stripped off his clothes.

Naked, he spread his arms toward me.

It was like he was telling me to come over and hug him.

“……”

I barely held back the feeling that my heart might leap out of my mouth.

I even managed to stifle the urge to pretend not to notice and sneak a hug.

After carefully suppressing all those other things that kept popping up like bamboo shoots after rain.

We entered the bathroom side by side and washed.

Fortunately, everything we needed to wash ourselves was already prepared.

After finishing a task closer to scrubbing than showering, we picked up the prepared clothes one by one and put them on.

There were exactly two folded sets of clothes.

They fit perfectly on both my body and Kaelus’s.

“……”

It sent a chill down my spine.

I bit my lip, afraid a scream might escape.

Even the fluffy new shoes, prepared separately, were the perfect size.

By the time we emerged from the bathroom cave, I was holding Kaelus’s hand tightly.

The exploration continued.

But there wasn’t a single ant hole connecting anywhere or leading outside.

We were exhausted and starving. After some deliberation, we returned to the inn.

I froze after seeing the chicken dish.

“……!”

Because I’d paid close attention, I noticed immediately.

……I was sure I’d messed it up trying to check, but it had returned to its original state before I touched it.

“……”

I poked my finger in again to check the temperature.

It was lukewarm.

I’m no thermometer, but I could be certain.

It had to be exactly the same temperature as before.

This is driving me crazy…

What should I do about this?

While I was pondering, ‘Smiling Kaelus’ let go of my hand, plopped down on the table, and before I could stop him, grabbed the chicken dish and shoved it into his mouth.

“Are you insane, hey! Spit it out! Spit it out!”

It was useless. Once I became human, I couldn’t overpower Kaelus by strength.

Before I could react, he’d already finished eating. Like a dog oblivious to his guardian’s frustration, Kaelus licked his lips, nodded, and offered me some food.

….Is this guy actually fine?

I mean, not his stomach, but his head!

Of course not.

Seeing me just staring, Kaelus actually brought the food right to my lips. My mouth area got completely messy, and the delicious smell was overwhelming.

Maybe because I was so hungry, it practically dug into my nostrils.

I lost to instinct.

The moment I took a bite, an incredible flavor filled my mouth.

“……”

Kaelus and I ate the chicken dish side by side, then stole and drank someone else’s fruit drink for dessert.

Though full, I felt no desire to move again. My stamina and energy were completely drained. Instead, I felt a wave of sleepiness.

As I started nodding off, Kaelus took the lead for the first time.

I wondered where we were going, but we headed toward the ‘bedroom’ section of the ant nest.

…Wait a moment.

I belatedly came to my senses and held my ground at the entrance.

Kaelus didn’t forcefully pull me along. He stared at me while holding my hand, he was asking why.

Doesn’t this bother you?

“…Well, if it did, you wouldn’t have eaten like that.”

I crossed my arms.

Something about this really bothers me….

It looked like all the buildings had their doors open. Couldn’t we just go into any building and sleep? The place we ate at was an inn too; if we went up to the second floor…

I stopped thinking about it there.

Then again, where in this space wouldn’t feel unsettling?

“Alright. Let’s go.”

Kaelus smiled a bit more brightly and led me on.

This place was a bit more smaller than the other tunnels, and the bed was very large.

The walls were smooth, as if carefully polished, and some were carved with reliefs of flowers or vines.

Maybe it was just my mood, but the air felt fresher too.

Sleep overwhelmed me. I couldn’t fight it.

It felt like I’d taken some kind of drug.

..Could it be that chicken dish earlier….

Even knowing it was dangerous, I lost consciousness.

* * *

The fortunate thing was, nothing happened.

I was just tired, I guess.

It was the same whether we ate food left at the inn, a meal set out at someone’s home, or something taken from the food storage.

There was no poison, and no one got sick.

After waking up, people didn’t appear, nor did they appear wielding pickaxes or spears, hostile and attacking us.

Even after several days, the cavern remained exactly as it had been the day Kaelus and I first entered.

The unfortunate part was that nothing happened.

The food and supplies we consumed were restored exactly as they were after a day passed. …It was a setting I’d seen a few times in fantasy.

Usually it’s when you’re trapped in a space touched by divine power, or a mystical space equivalent to that…

Was this place similar?

Trying to use a brain I hadn’t used made it feel like it was cramping. …Could you even get a cramp in your brain? If you get a cramp in your leg, you stretch your toes, but how do you fix a brain cramp? Smooth out the brain folds?

…My concentration was slowly reaching its limit.

Smack.

“……”

It was even worse because the person who was my absolute type from head to toe, and whom I’d fallen for, was pressing his lips against the back of my neck like he was choking me.

“Kaelus, stop it… Ugh!”

The beast didn’t miss his chance. The moment I opened my mouth, his tongue pushed its way in. His hands pressed down on the back of my neck and my shoulders. The pressure made me feel more excited than hurt.

…I had already lost count of how many times I had ended up giving in like this.

Kaelus’s advances were sudden.

There was no triggering event. We just briefly made eye contact before sleep, and then he suddenly pounced on me…

At first, I resisted. Not because I disliked Kaelus, but because he was currently in a weakened state of mind and body.

I feared the consequences when he came to his senses later.

…That was probably the biggest reason, but anyway.

As you can see, it didn’t go well.

When I frowned and resisted, instead of forcing himself on me, he made a face like he was about to cry.

…A sulky Kaelus was destructive. Something snapped inside my head, and by the time I came to my senses, it was already done.

And everything’s hard the first time.

The second time is easy.

“……Haah, hngh. Kaelus. How do you plan to look me in the face later when you come to your senses?”

No answer.

He focused solely on sucking more of my skin.

He seemed intent on leaving as many marks as possible in the short time he had.

……Or maybe he just wanted to devour me.

“Ugh. Huh, haa. There, good… my chest. Mmm. Suck more….”

“…….”

“Ugh. Ah, it hurts….”

“…….”

“No. I just said that! It’s not like it doesn’t hurt, but… um. Should I say it hurts good? More than that, every time you act this innocent, it feels like I’m preying some kid who knows nothing, and it makes me feel… Ack! Ow! Ah, why are you usually so vacant but react perfectly to just words like that… Ow! Ow! Fine! Of course I know you’re older than me…! Ugh!”

…It was convenient that sleeping somewhere else for just one night restored things to normal without needing to wash the bedding.

Once Kaelus started, he wouldn’t let me go for at least a full day. I’d experienced it before, but it was incredible in every sense…….

Wait, are all fantasy knights like this?

……Probably not. Kaelus must be special. If this were a novel, he’d definitely be the protagonist. As I sighed and groaned in bed, Kaelus, unusually expressionless, fidgeted restlessly beside me.

It was one of the advantages of the dim-witted Kaelus.

Unlike the original Kaelus, who seemed like you couldn’t get a needle past him.

The man who’d fallen into the cavern and had about six screws loose had a remarkably expressive face. Even if conversation didn’t flow, his inner thoughts and feelings were so transparent that communication wasn’t difficult.

…Could this be Kaelus’s true self?

His usual stony face was the result of learning and training.

But was it really necessary for someone of his rank to be like that? No. Actually, being a duke probably made it even more necessary.

“You’ve lived a tiring life.”

“…….”

“Yeah. Yeah. Good boy.”

Kaelus wore a reluctant expression.

I stroked his head gently, to say I understood everything.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“……”

With my only conversation partner silent, I just started rambling.

The conversation seemed to flow with my stream of consciousness.

Well, whatever.

It’s just me and Kaelus here.

Just the two of us.

…Huh.

I froze.

It was because I felt a strange stability from that last remark.

Enough to think it might be okay to live like this forever.

“…….”

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I definitely need to escape quickly.

1. A legendary weapon wielded by the Chinese general Guan Yu in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. ↩︎