Ch.117Confession

“Mmm…”

“Will! Are you awake!?”

Opening my eyes to the joyful voice, I saw Phyllis looking down at me with tears welling up in her eyes.

Around me was a barren stone room with nothing but a bed and chair.

I could tell at a glance that this wasn’t our tent, but I had no idea why I had woken up in such a place.

“Can you recognize my face? My voice? Are there any problems with your consciousness or memory!?”

“Ah, yes… I’m fine, Phyllis. I remember activating my skill to block the Dark Elf’s ambush and then mana depletion…”

“Mana depletion? What a convenient excuse.”

“Huh? That’s not what happened?”

“Will, you… you almost died.”

Phyllis answered with a tearful voice and then embraced me tightly as I barely managed to sit up.

“Phyllis…?”

“I was worried… really, I was so worried…”

I was momentarily confused by Phyllis’s sudden change in speech pattern, but I gently stroked her head while examining her appearance again.

Her clothes were covered in mud, her tights were torn in places revealing bare skin, and her beautiful hair was a mess with mud caked in it.

I couldn’t imagine what had happened while I was unconscious to leave Phyllis in such a state, or why Jessica and Seti were nowhere to be seen while Phyllis alone kept watch over me.

“First, calm down a bit. Can you explain what happened after I passed out?”

“Alright… *sniff*…”

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Phyllis explained everything that had happened the night before.

I had been in mortal danger after being injected with dark mana from the Dark Elf’s weapon. Phyllis had ridden Ancestor at full speed to Atelier to save me.

But my condition was so severe that simply purifying the dark mana wouldn’t be enough to save my life. To treat me, Phyllis had ventured alone deep into a toxic swamp to gather medicinal herbs.

Thanks to the superior regeneration potion made from the herbs Phyllis had collected, I had survived and been moved from the treatment room to a recovery room, with Phyllis staying by my side as my guardian.

“So it wasn’t mana depletion but the early symptoms of death by dark mana. I really almost died… Thank you, Phyllis. You went through so much for me.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. If you hadn’t shielded me then, I would have been injected with dark mana from that weapon and turned into a Dark Elf.”

“Ah~ So that’s what it was.”

“You knew?”

“It was oozing dark mana in an unusual way. The moment I saw it, I knew it was dangerous and that Phyllis absolutely couldn’t be stabbed by it.”

“You knew that and still blocked it with your body?”

“At first I tried to shoot it with my gun. But as luck would have it, the cylinder was empty, and there was no time to reload, so I couldn’t think of any other way.”

It was reckless, but I think the choice itself wasn’t wrong.

If I hadn’t blocked that attack, Phyllis would have turned into a Dark Elf and started hurling fireballs or lightning bolts at us.

I hadn’t expected to be in mortal danger from the dark mana injection, but in the end, I survived.

“Even so, why would you go that far for someone like me…”

“Someone like you? I consider you a precious comrade, Phyllis.”

“Comrade… Right. Just a comrade. I could understand if it were Jessica or Seti, your lovers, but what if you had died trying to save me…”

“A precious comrade.”

“…What?”

“Not just a comrade, but a ‘precious’ comrade. An adventure partner we can trust with our lives.”

I stroked Phyllis’s head again as she blinked her emerald green eyes, and continued:

“When such a precious comrade was in danger right before my eyes, I just tried to save them. Whether it was Jessica, Seti, or Mina, whoever was standing there, I would have done the same thing.”

“…Thank you for saying that, at least. I hope something like this never happens again.”

“Hahaha… You’re hitting a sore spot. Well, I was certainly a bit careless this time.”

At the time, the situation was so urgent that I acted on instinct, but thinking calmly now, I could have deflected the dagger with the handle of my gun, like when I blocked the stream from Demon Rose.

I’ll take this incident as a lesson and think more carefully before acting next time. That’s definitely something I need to reflect on without excuse.

“Still, I understand what you’re trying to say. That regardless of whether we’re lovers or not, you acted as a comrade?”

“Yes. You also risked your life for me by going to that dangerous swamp, right? It’s the same thing either way.”

“…For me… it might not have been the same.”

“Huh?”

“The reason I risked my life to save you was because it was you, Will, and no one else…”

I could feel her arms tightening around my neck.

With her face buried in my chest, Phyllis whispered in a small voice as if she wanted only me to hear:

“At first, it was out of guilt. I thought I couldn’t face Jessica and Seti if I let their lover die in exchange for a comrade… So I thought I had to save you even if it cost me my life.”

Phyllis’s story continued calmly.

I didn’t respond and quietly listened to her words.

“Whenever my eyes stung from the swamp’s poison, or I struggled against unfamiliar monsters, or grew anxious when I couldn’t find the herbs, I would grip the revolver I borrowed from you tightly to find strength. Before I knew it, I stopped thinking about Jessica and Seti, and my mind was filled only with the desire to see you safe again.”

Phyllis slowly raised her head and looked at my face with tear-filled eyes.

“On my way back to the city with the herbs, I kept thinking: Please let me not be too late, please let me see this face again… And if I could, I promised myself I wouldn’t hide or suppress my feelings anymore.”

“Your feelings…”

“Yes… I, Phyllis Ade, have been in love with you.”

Phyllis’s confession was proper and dignified, unbefitting an adventurer.

But through the strength in her voice, I could feel that she was desperately mustering her courage.

“I’ve been attracted to you since you offered to help the Willow Sanctuary. But back then, I just thought you were a kind person, and seeing you travel with three women, I didn’t pay much attention.”

“But what changed…?”

“The first time I became conscious of you as a man was when I showed you my legs at my home. I tried to brush it off as if nothing happened, but you persisted and made me aware of it, and you understood my fear of Dark Elves that kept me confined to the sanctuary.”

“Ah, that time…”

“My feelings continued to grow after I joined you on your adventure. The way you angrily confronted that giant who insulted Jessica at Cotton Tail Trading Post, the feeling of your hands massaging my legs on the hillside, when you cooked with the potatoes I gathered by the lake—it felt like we were newlyweds. Yet I was irritated seeing you only look at Jessica and Seti, so I mischievously told you that having s…that during Titania would result in pregnancy.”

“If you were that jealous, you could have hinted at your feelings.”

“Unlike Jessica and Seti, I found it difficult to accept the idea of one man dating multiple women.”

“Ah…”

I had become so accustomed to dating two women that my sensitivity had dulled.

Regardless of whether polygamy is socially acceptable, everyone desires a lover who looks only at them.

Realizing this made me appreciate how generously Jessica and Seti had accepted our harem relationship.

Wait, it’s disrespectful to Phyllis to think about other women while receiving her confession.

“Until recently, I was torn between my feelings for you and my dislike of being just one of many women. I thought maybe I could seduce you and steal you away from them, so I even overcame my embarrassment and let you touch my bare legs.”

“So that was your plan!? You’re more devious than I thought!”

“But you didn’t fall for it. Jessica teased me saying ‘that’s too weak,’ and that night, knowing I was in the next room, the three of you all night long…”

She must be referring to when we played card games while Mina was focused on her work.

I had no idea such conversations were happening when Jessica and I were whispering while my eyes were covered.

“That’s when I realized. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t break the relationship between the three of you. If I couldn’t accept a polyamorous relationship, my feelings would have to remain an unrequited love.”

“Phyllis…”

“So I decided to give up on becoming your lover and instead just make sarcastic jokes when you flirted in front of me. I told myself I’d be satisfied just being by your side, even like that…”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

But Phyllis’s expression wasn’t one of sadness or resentment—it was the look of a woman gazing at the man she loves.

“It’s impossible now… I love you too much. I’ve realized that not being in your arms hurts more than not having you all to myself.”

“Phyllis…”

“Will… please be honest with me. In your heart, is there room for me too?”

Phyllis’s small shoulders trembled slightly.

I answered her feelings by embracing those white, delicate shoulders tightly.

To be honest, I can’t say I didn’t have some expectations.

And it’s true that my heart had been swaying toward Phyllis to some extent.

When we were staying in the Third Western City, I was convinced that having Jessica and Seti in my life was enough.

The Bunny Girl Tour was purely out of curiosity, and even when I saw the beautiful Baekto women at the hair loss clinic, I only thought “hmm.”

The first time my heart wavered was when I witnessed Phyllis undressing.

Her porcelain-white, beautiful celestial legs, and the gap between the “kill me, knight” image I had of Phyllis and her true self that was revealed.

Add to that her vulnerability, like a small bird nestled in the Willow Sanctuary nest out of fear of Dark Elves.

I think that’s when the scale of my feelings toward her began to shift from “the great Elf” to “the girl named Phyllis Ade.”

Of course, what allowed me not to deny these feelings was the active encouragement from my two lovers, especially Jessica.

Jessica told me that if I were to take someone else as a lover, I should decide based solely on my own feelings, without considering them.

But at the same time, part of me still felt that “looking at another woman when I have Jessica and Seti is sinful.”

Or at least, that’s how I felt.

‘But now that guilt doesn’t even come to mind—Phyllis is just too lovable.’

A love confession delivered with sincerity from a woman who risked her life to save me, as I had for her.

I decided to accept her confession following only what my heart dictated, not because of anyone else’s existence.

“Thank you, Phyllis.”

“Will…”

“I promise. I’ll cherish you for life so that you won’t regret being with me, so much that you won’t even mind that there are other women.”

“Aah…! Will!!!”

A simple phrase that should be obvious between lovers—that I would cherish her for life.

At those words, as if she had received salvation, Phyllis buried her face in my chest with tears of joy and a cry of delight, seeking even more affection.

She looked so lovable that I wanted to redefine our relationship right here and now. I gently lifted her chin and moved my lips closer, but—

“W-wait a moment…”

Phyllis, who I thought would naturally accept the kiss, hastily turned her face away and pushed me back slightly.

“Huh?”

“No, no! I’m not rejecting your k…kiss! No, actually, I want it so badly right now, but…”

“Does it go against Elven customs?”

“That’s not it. As you can see, I’m a mess… I received emergency treatment, but I’m covered in swamp poison and monster blood…”

“Ah…”

“So, I’m sorry. For our first time, I want to be clean and pretty…”

In the sudden confession, she had looked nothing but lovable to me, but looking more carefully, I understood what was bothering her.

Toxic swamp mud and sewage clinging to her body, torn tights everywhere, inflamed red skin… Looking closely, I could see some kind of ointment applied to her cheeks as well.

She stopped our skinship not just because of the mood or her appearance, but also out of hygiene concerns.

“…Is that okay?”

Phyllis carefully watched my reaction, feeling guilty for stopping the skinship after she had initiated it.

I couldn’t help but smile, thinking how typical this was of her.

“Alright. My body still feels heavy too, so let’s continue this after we’ve both recovered.”

“Yes… thank you for understanding.”

“Speaking of condition, why don’t you get a room at an inn and get some rest? When the other three arrive, you can all stay at that inn.”

“Ah… right. So I should book three double rooms as usual?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll come pick you up around lunchtime, so rest well.”

Phyllis’s footsteps were light as she closed the door of the hospital room.

She must be happy that her confession was accepted, but she’s probably also eager to get to the inn and take a shower.

I’d also prefer to rest comfortably in a decent inn rather than on this cheap clinic bed, but…

‘If I stayed at a hotel with just Phyllis now, I might get carried away by the mood. But on the very first day of confession, that’s a bit…’

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that’s what it means when adult men and women become lovers, but I’m still not sure what form of “love” Phyllis has in mind.

I’ll take things slowly with Phyllis at our own pace, and for now, focus on recovering.

Even with these thoughts, I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from turning up in the early dawn.