Ch.142Negotiation (5)

*

Though I hadn’t realized it, I must have been quite hungry, as the thick rabbit meat now had only a few scraps of flesh left clinging to the bones.

My downfall was eating in silence while contemplating how to explain to Silvia “reasons why I shouldn’t have sex with you.”

The meal was coming to an end, but I still hadn’t come up with a good solution.

That’s when Silvia addressed me with a puzzled voice.

“Ash, is something wrong?”

“Huh? No?”

“Today… something seems off about you.”

“…W-what seems off?”

Silvia stared at me quietly, tilted her head slightly, and then said:

“Well, you were waiting for me even though you didn’t know when I’d arrive, and despite greeting me so warmly, you haven’t said a word since…”

She’s too perceptive.

No, perhaps this level of sensitivity is normal for a hero.

“And… hmm, I don’t know. Something just feels strange.”

“…Uh, well…”

I forced strength into my stammering lips and blurted out a clumsy excuse.

“No, I just had some things on my mind. Meeting you was just a coincidence. Thanks for your concern.”

“Really? That’s good then… but what have you been thinking about so intently?”

“Um… well, you see…”

“I knew it, you’re hiding something, aren’t you? What is it?”

“Hiding something? There’s nothing like that.”

I said with an awkward smile.

Silvia looked at me, then slowly put down the rabbit meat she was holding.

Only then did I notice that Silvia had barely eaten half of her rabbit meat.

Apparently, she had been observing me throughout the meal without properly eating.

Silvia let out a heavy sigh and hung her head low.

Then she soon muttered in a troubled voice:

“Is it because I forced myself on you yesterday?”

“Hmm?”

“Was it… unpleasant because I forced you?”

Silvia asked me very cautiously in a gentle manner.

At least she seemed to remember that she had been quite forceful last night, as her shrinking voice was thick with guilt.

Pia stood beside Silvia and exclaimed with a triumphant face:

“Silvia was bad! So you knew it!”

I slowly rolled my eyes to look at Pia.

She was standing there with her tail swishing from side to side, hands on her hips, looking at Silvia with a broad smile.

Of course, Silvia couldn’t see her, but unlike Pia, Silvia lowered her head even more and apologized to me.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t want to treat Ash so… so carelessly… really.”

“Silvia…”

“But when I think you might reject me, I get so anxious… I’m scared and can’t bear it.”

“…”

I already knew that Silvia’s feelings toward me weren’t typical.

No matter how inexperienced I was with romance, I wasn’t so dense that I couldn’t notice this fact.

I had realized long ago that Silvia’s obsession and possessiveness toward me went beyond the normal range.

Whether this was Silvia’s true nature or if she had been broken during her time living alone in this forest, I couldn’t tell. What was certain was that our love was far from ordinary in both form and magnitude.

Of course, that fact no longer made me shudder.

Whether Silvia knew it or not, I loved her just as much as she was obsessed with me.

Before I could say anything, Silvia suddenly startled and hastily continued:

“N-no! It’s not that I don’t trust Ash! It’s all my fault. I know that!”

“…Silvia.”

“No, I’m sorry. I understand if you’re disappointed… but,”

“Silvia, it’s okay, I’m not angry at all, and I’ve never been disappointed.”

“…Ash.”

Pia glanced at me once, then started circling around Silvia again.

Though Pia wasn’t saying anything, her triumphant expression made it clear enough that she was mocking Silvia.

I felt like a parent raising an immature daughter.

Feeling slightly annoyed at Pia’s carefree attitude while being oblivious to others’ feelings, I decided to take Silvia’s side.

“Last night… I actually didn’t dislike it.”

“Ash! What are you saying?!”

Pia perked up her ears, approached me with puffed cheeks, and scolded me.

Just as she had done with Silvia earlier, she stood with her hands on her hips looking at me, and I let out a sigh.

“I was just too tired and exhausted. You understand that I’m not used to training, right Silvia?”

“…Yes.”

“Besides, with not much time left before we go after the Demon Lord… I thought it might be time to get serious.”

“I see…”

Though it was a hastily made-up excuse, I thought it was quite plausible even after saying it.

I had been wondering how to persuade Silvia, and somehow she herself had given me the opportunity.

On the other hand, Silvia, who seemed to feel guilty toward me, looked incredibly lovable.

Though she was easily swept away by carnal desires, I could feel that she was constantly concerned about me.

Even though she was already my lover, I was deeply moved enough to want to confess to her again.

Meanwhile, Pia stood beside me, repeatedly nodding at Silvia and quietly murmured:

“That’s right, you’re doing well.”

“…So, I was thinking maybe we should exercise some restraint from now on.”

I continued, barely managing to ignore Pia’s snarky comments.

Honestly, at this moment, all problems were as good as perfectly resolved.

Human conversations have certain flows and atmospheres.

Regardless of whether I actually disliked intimate nights with Silvia, in this situation—with me as the victim, Silvia feeling guilty, and a reasonable excuse added—no normal person would reject this proposal.

I was confident enough in this that the flow of conversation between Silvia and me was incredibly smooth.

Fortunately, having successfully conveyed my intentions to Silvia without bringing up Pia, I slowly let out a sigh of relief and waited for her response.

“…”

However, Silvia remained silent for quite some time.

Though I knew it wasn’t gentlemanly to press for an answer when making a one-sided request, I couldn’t help but call her name.

“…Silvia?”

“…Would it be impossible?”

“Huh?”

Silvia slowly and carefully raised her head and spoke in a small voice:

“Could we… do it… at least once every two days?”

“…”

Good heavens.

To think she could refuse in this atmosphere.

And this wasn’t just a simple refusal.

With flushed cheeks, eyes glistening with moisture, platinum hair covering her face like a silken curtain creating a mysterious atmosphere, and a hesitant voice that seemed extremely embarrassed—it all created a strangely sensual mood.

This was a dangerous flow.

Silvia, with her beautiful appearance, had instantly turned the atmosphere to one where I would accept her proposal.

And apparently, I wasn’t the only one who noticed this shift.

“Kyak! What is this woman saying?!”

Pia cutely clenched her fists and then climbed onto Silvia’s shoulders.

Of course, Pia’s actions couldn’t have any effect on Silvia.

Silvia, completely unaware that Pia was on her shoulders, turned her head shyly and continued:

“Well… Alice will be back soon… and then we won’t have much time for just the two of us…”

“B-but…”

Silvia seemed to contemplate something for a moment, biting her lip once, and then let out a deep sigh.

“Hah… I didn’t want to say this until the end…”

Silvia slowly looked at me and continued in a calm but somewhat sad voice:

“Honestly, I’ve been anxious lately.”

“…Anxious?”

“Yes…”

Silvia’s face gradually hardened, changing into a serious expression devoid of playfulness or sensuality.

Seeing this, I also felt tension rising within me.

“What do you mean by anxious?”

“…”

“…It’s okay. Tell me.”

When I carefully urged her, trying to sound as gentle as possible, Silvia once again began to speak in a more composed yet deeply pained voice.

“We’ll soon be going to face the Demon Lord.”

“Yes.”

I froze momentarily and could only manage to nod.

Though it was the same word, somehow the term “Demon Lord” coming from Silvia’s lips carried a significantly different weight compared to when I or Sister Alice said it.

Perhaps it’s because she knows best what kind of being the Demon Lord is.

I tried to shake off the sudden chill and attempted to comfort Silvia.

“I understand what you’re worried about. It will certainly be dangerous, but if you’re anxious about me dying…”

“That’s not it.”

Silvia cut me off immediately.

Her attitude was so resolute that it was almost startling.

Slightly taken aback, I looked at Silvia, who seemed to be wearing a somewhat pained expression.

At that moment, I deeply reproached myself for rashly presuming her intentions and speaking carelessly.

“Of course, the thought of you being in danger is terrifying… if anything were to happen to you, I would completely fall apart…”

“…”

“But what makes me anxious now… the reason I want even a small comfort from your body, is for a different reason.”

“…”

To avoid repeating the same mistake, I kept my mouth shut and calmly waited until Silvia was ready to speak.

After a moment, Silvia let out a moist sigh and slowly opened her mouth.

“The path to the Demon Lord means walking the path where my comrades died…”

“…Ah.”

“Which is… in other words, it means facing my failure again.”

“…”

“My comrades, Maria…”

“Silvia…”

“The failure of that day when I lost… everything in the world…”

I couldn’t say anything.

It was something I had never thought about until now.

Even after learning that the Demon Lord was alive, I finally understood for the first time why Silvia hadn’t shown a particularly active attitude toward going after the Demon Lord.

After Sister Maria—no, all of her numerous comrades died, only Silvia survived.

The journey toward the Demon Lord was no different from a pilgrimage to the graves of Silvia’s comrades.

It was no different from tracing the footsteps of the hero party that ultimately failed to save this world.

For Silvia, it was no different from witnessing her own failure clearly.

This time, I lowered my head.

The image of Silvia from when I first stayed at her cabin—precariously swaying and slowly crumbling—flashed through my mind again.

“Ash, I’m… honestly, scared.”

Even Pia kept her mouth firmly shut at Silvia’s sorrowful voice.

.