HPV 22

The divine insight of the god Gaioh holds absolute dominion. It lays bare a person’s roots, trunk, branches, and even their leaves. Just as there is no place on earth untouched by sunlight or wind, nothing can escape it.

But even in this world, there are eclipses when the sun closes its eyes, and there are vortexes where the wind loses its strength.

Yurichen read all of Riarun’s life as though he had lived it himself. One man’s life was perfectly compiled into a book and placed into Yurichen’s hands.

Yet the pages concerning Riarun’s possession—and what he believed to be a ‘demon’—were not among them.

The ‘demon’ had hidden in Riarun’s deepest depths, evading the divine authority. Once the priest disappeared, it crept back out and sank its claws into Riarun’s heart. Though part of it was temporarily detained within the body of a man who was half-human, half-beast, it nonetheless preferred Riarun most of all.

No, if it had been able to resist the beast’s blood in that man, it would never have left Riarun’s side.

Waking late, a dazed feeling lingered. For a while, Riarun lay buried under the blankets, staring blankly as he searched for his sense of reality.

The inn had an unusually large room, and the whole group had shared it last night. But when he sat up in bed, everyone was gone—save for one person.

By now, Riarun was no longer surprised to wake up and find Banwes staring at him. He stretched, sat on the edge of the bed, and dipped his hand into the washbasin on the nightstand.

The unrefined dtone still pressed faintly against his cheek. At first, it had felt like the tip of a sharp, red dagger—now, it was more like a harmless stone, dulled and worn.

He splashed water onto his face and lifted his head.

The trail left by those red pupils was still fixed right between his eyes.

“Did you forget something?”

Banwes demanded like a creditor collecting a debt. He wanted Riarun to take back the demonic power that he had entrusted to Banwes while recovering.

It was time to switch again. But Riarun, feeling uneasy and just a little defiant, pushed back mildly.

“You’re healthy, aren’t you? Why don’t you hold onto it a little longer?”

But such a shallow offer was dismissed without pause. Banwes cut off any negotiations with a grim threat.

“Choose. Either I do it by force, or you come to me on your own.”

Riarun frowned slightly, then quickly stood up and presented himself in front of him.

“Fine. I’m here.”

But Banwes had no intention of moving from where he sat. His stubborn gaze, dignified and even authoritative, bore into Rialun.

“I took it from you, so you take it back yourself. The one in need is the one who must reach out.”

In short, he expected Riarun to do everything from start to finish while he simply sat there.

Even Banwes, seated as he was, still didn’t look up to Riarun’s eye level when Riarun stood. In that unfamiliar position of looking down at him, Riarun bent forward slightly. His long, loosened hair spilled over Banwes’ broad chest.

The man’s intense gaze felt oddly like someone watching a bug circling around, trying to land on their nose.

How did Banwes do it last time?

Based on the memory, the first step was to secure him. Riarun reached out and cupped the left side of Banwes’ face.

The skin was unexpectedly soft, and a tingle ran through his fingers as they touched flesh. Pleased by the sensation, he placed his other hand on the opposite cheek. His head wasn’t as large as expected—or perhaps Riarun’s hands were just big.

The vicious, beastlike man’s face was held docilely in place. An unexpected sense of embarrassment welled up in Riarun. After all, he now had to press their lips together.

His lips had a reddish tint up close, reminding Riarun of the cherries he’d eaten for dessert the night before.

He closed his eyes tightly, drew in a deep breath, and lowered his face. Warm skin met warm skin. As their shapes fit together, Riarun slipped his tongue into the red cave.

Banwes, who always seemed so cold and indifferent, stiffened slightly as the tongue entered. He raised his hand but let it hover awkwardly in midair.

Riarun’s eyes twitched involuntarily, interrupting his focus. Controlling his facial muscles as gently as possible, he licked along Banwes’ teeth. When his tongue brushed against Banwes’ moist, unmoving one, a shiver ran down his spine.

‘Still… it feels different from last time. Back then, I could barely keep my mind together.’

Maybe it was because he’d done this once before and gotten used to it. But more than that, he could feel the dark, murky energy spreading through his body again.

The demon was transferring from Banwes back into him, and that disorienting sensation muddled his senses. Or perhaps the dreadful energy of the demon could only be tempered by this kiss.

His saliva-soaked tongue made sticky sounds as it clung to the roof of Banwes’ mouth. Then, suddenly, Riarun caught a sound.

Was Banwes breathing heavily? That man, who could run to the peak of a mountain without pause?

Just in case, he parted their flesh ever so slightly, creating a bit of space so Banwes could breathe. But that strange, heated breath remained the same.

He soon pulled away completely and wiped the dampness from Banwes’ lips. Looking into his eyes, he asked,

“Is it done?”

No response. So he asked again.

“Did it transfer?”

Banwes looked… unsure. Like he didn’t know how to explain it. His expression was one of visible confusion.

As Riarun lowered his head, intending to stand, his eyes happened to fall on Banwes’ lower half—at that moment, Banwes snapped his legs together and shot up to his feet. Perhaps the position during the kiss had been uncomfortable; his brows were drawn into an irritated scowl.

“You’re the one who received it—you should know better than me.”

Riarun didn’t understand why Banwes seemed more displeased now than he had been before. Shouldn’t he feel relieved, as if a blockage had been cleared, with the demon’s energy out of his body?

“…Did I do it wrong?”

He had only asked to be polite, and ended up being kicked out of the room.

Never again, he told himself.

Though Banwes had gotten annoyed and thrown him out because something about the kiss had apparently bothered him, he still gave Riarun a piggyback ride today.

Well, to be exact, he bent down to offer one—but someone else quietly stepped in to block him.

“I’ll carry him today.”

With the Holy Sword strapped securely across his chest, Paronai approached with confidence and launched into a grand speech. Ever since the tomb incident, he said, he’d done nothing but walk, and now his legs were itching. If this kept up, his body would stiffen, and he wouldn’t be able to fight properly when a real monster appeared.

“If you’re that restless, go run up to the ridge by yourself,” Penzey muttered.

“Shut up,” Paronai snapped back, undeterred. The bold young warrior pounded his chest with gusto. The toned muscles beneath his tunic took the blow with pride.

Paronai’s such a fool. So much like a game protagonist. Can’t believe he’s offering to help me.

Riarun rolled his eyes, unsure what to choose. It would be easy to reject him with the cold sharpness of a villain—but Banwes was the complication.

If he turned Paronai down in a clumsy way, it would be like declaring Banwes the better choice.

“You can’t handle Riarun.”

But Banwes cut in first.

He looked down at Paronai, the blood-red eyes behind his mask glowing faintly. His glare carried the pent-up resentment of someone who had endured long hours of unwanted labor.

“Does he look light to you, just because he’s slim? Absolutely not. He keeps swinging his legs around, hitting me, his arms cling to my neck and get in the way so I can’t even turn my head properly. And if a monster shows up, the one carrying him ends up having to protect him too—what a nuisance. Worst of all, he constantly gives off a scent that overwhelms my sense of smell. And your back is way too narrow.”

“Ugh…” Paronai let out a strange sound as the long list of complaints came crashing down on him. At the last one, he bounced up in protest.

“That’s too much! It’s not that I’m narrow, it’s that you’re absurdly broad!”

He didn’t seem truly angry—his face actually looked more amused. Just having a normal conversation with Banwes like any other companion seemed to make him happy.

But wait, wasn’t Banwes supposed to be the kind of character who’d lived among monsters his whole life, barely able to speak, and unable to understand complex words? Is this a complete break from character?

For someone about to insult me, he sure got eloquent fast. Maybe I should be relieved that he’s this harsh with the others too, and not just me.