Ch.20Sleeping Together (6)

*

Sylvia silently held Ash, who had burst into tears in her arms.

She was still holding him in the same position as when she caught him after he jumped from the tree, not having put him down yet.

To be honest, she was confused.

Just ten minutes ago, Sylvia’s mind had been filled with thoughts like, “If I want to cut off Ash’s legs to prevent him from escaping, should I cut off the right leg or the left leg?”

But after seeing Ash screaming in a tree, chased by a ferocious wild beast, Sylvia quickly realized that he hadn’t abandoned her and fled, and she smiled.

Come to think of it, it had always been this way.

Ash had disappeared without a word several times before, but he had never once tried to run away.

The first time, he was at Laila’s grave, and the next time, he appeared after gathering some wild herbs.

Today, when he was gone for the longest time, he had been trembling in a tree, unable to return to the cabin because he was being chased by a bear.

In the end, Ash had never once tried to leave her.

That fact wrapped warmly around Sylvia’s heart.

Moreover, just before being attacked by that vicious bear’s front paws up in the tree, he had called out Sylvia’s name.

Whether he was asking for her help or if she was the last person he thought of before dying, she couldn’t know.

But the moment she heard that cry, all of Sylvia’s anger melted away like snow greeting spring.

Of course, that didn’t mean she was going to let this slide completely.

The sword she had never picked up again after cutting down so many villagers.

In that moment when she impulsively drew her sword that she never wanted to hold again, she could once more feel how obsessed she had become with him.

She never wanted to be alone again.

Despite taking a certain pride in sacrificing herself to save the world as a hero, she couldn’t bear the pain of loneliness.

She was well aware of how contradictory she was.

But there was something a bit unfair about it all.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t endure it; she had become unable to endure it.

Clearly, until Ash appeared, she had been managing well on her own, chewing on that solitude and loneliness.

For the past few years, the only driving force that had helped her endure the loneliness of being isolated from the world was definitely her sense of duty and pride as a hero.

A life in this forest where no trace of humans could be found, blankly waiting for the end of her life to eventually come.

The occasional feelings of resentment and desire for compensation mocked her, asking if this was all the reward for defeating the Demon King, but she suppressed these inner feelings and silently waited for death in the same daily routine.

There was no one to praise or commend her.

No glory, hope, or fulfillment.

Honestly, duty and pride alone were barely enough to sustain her, but Sylvia had been carrying on, remembering her comrades who had died before her, mourning all those she had caused to die, and quietly watching the hourglass slowly pouring toward death.

Because that was the fate and mission given to Sylvia the hero.

But now, she couldn’t do that anymore.

She could no longer return to how things were before Ash.

Sylvia had become completely unable to tolerate the silence of the empty cabin.

And it was clearly Ash who had made her this way.

He had created a crisis for Sylvia’s mission.

Though the misunderstanding and anger had already been resolved, she was still thinking of ways to keep Ash tied to the cabin.

His cooking was a great pleasure, but she didn’t care if he could no longer cook.

She knew how much he cherished his younger sister, but honestly, she wished he wouldn’t even go to the cemetery.

The forest was inherently dangerous, and Ash might die from a ridiculous mistake like today’s.

So she desperately wanted Ash to always stay quietly in her cabin.

Sylvia wished for this despite knowing it was a selfish desire.

Because she could.

Because Ash had said it was okay to be selfish.

Honestly, it didn’t make sense that someone who had accomplished all those journeys couldn’t even wish for this much.

It wasn’t as if she was asking permission to spread a curse that would exterminate humanity.

She just needed Ash to be there.

If she could keep Ash by her side, she was certain she could happily spend the next few decades of life in this damned forest without ever leaving.

Now, for Sylvia, Ash had become essential to sustaining the sacrifice she had accepted as a hero.

He was the most important piece that allowed her to remain a hero, and that piece’s name was Ash.

But then,

“S-Sylvia… ma’am.”

Ash sobbed with his face buried in her embrace, his entire body entrusted to Sylvia’s arms.

Shocked beyond her expectations, Sylvia stopped all the thoughts she had been having.

It was like a shock that made her mind briefly fly away.

Cut off his legs?

Whose? This boy’s legs?

Ash, who was sobbing with even his shoulders trembling?

Cut off the legs of this pitiful young man who was just finding comfort, his body rigid with fear gradually relaxing in the warmth of her embrace?

Sylvia slowly lowered her confused head to look down at the ash-gray hair nestled in her arms.

A powerful urge to stroke Ash’s hair swirled within her heart.

But with one hand holding him up and the other holding a torch, Sylvia ended up pressing her forehead against his head instead.

“Don’t cry. It’s okay.”

“Uuh, Miss Sylvia…”

“You were scared.”

“Yes… I was scared.”

‘My goodness, what horrible thoughts was I having?’

Sylvia silently rubbed her cheek against his head.

It also looked as if she was trying to share her body’s warmth with him as much as possible.

Ash, too, burrowed deeper into Sylvia’s embrace like a baby animal seeking its mother’s milk.

*

The two returned to the cabin holding hands.

After waiting for Ash to calm down, the time was already close to midnight.

“…I’ll, I’ll prepare dinner.”

Ash said in a shrinking voice.

When Sylvia glanced at his face, it was red enough to notice even in the darkness.

Apparently, now that he had calmed down, he was embarrassed about having cried loudly in a woman’s arms.

Sylvia chuckled and replied.

“It’s late, so don’t worry about it. Let’s have breakfast together when we wake up tomorrow instead.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Thanks to someone, I’m too shocked to think about eating anything.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Ash lowered his head weakly.

“I’m not angry, so it’s fine.”

Sylvia, who had been furious about his disappearance, lied without even trying to hide it.

At least in terms of her current mood, it wasn’t a lie.

Any anger had long since vanished at the sight of Ash just moments ago.

“Ah, the basket.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry, I lost the basket while being chased by the bear.”

As Ash sat down weakly on the bed, Sylvia smiled and stroked his hair once.

“Don’t worry about it. You must be tired, so go to sleep early tonight.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Sylvia laid Ash down on the bed and slowly returned to her own room.

After carefully closing the door that had been left open for days, Sylvia lit the candle on the desk, sat in the chair, and took out her sword.

Then she began to slowly clean the sword with a dry cloth that had been hanging on the back of the chair.

Blood and fat on a used sword must be cleaned off the same day to prevent damage.

It was a habit ingrained from years of adventure.

But despite having performed this equipment maintenance countless times before, her movements as she cleaned the sword were awkward.

“…Ash.”

She quietly called Ash’s name.

At that moment, the area around Sylvia’s solar plexus grew hot.

Just saying his name seemed to spread a warm flame through her chest.

She was absentmindedly rubbing the same spot on the sword over and over, recalling Ash’s appearance from earlier.

Ash, sobbing and tightly held in her arms.

Every part of her body that had touched him seemed to still remember the sensation.

It was strangely new, even now.

It wasn’t as if physical contact with Ash was happening for the first time.

But this feeling was clearly different from when she had hugged him recently and he had hugged her back in response.

She had never seen Ash so desperately seeking the comfort of her embrace before.

“…How cute.”

Sylvia whispered quietly with a smile.

But at the same time, her anxiety grew.

She knew he had no intention of leaving her.

She clearly understood that Ash, who had accepted and understood the situation of being cursed, wouldn’t suddenly be desperate to leave the forest now.

However, whether Ash was prepared to live in this forest was another matter entirely.

It was strange to question his readiness when he already had to live in the forest, but it was an important issue.

Even if he didn’t try to run away from her, he was still a weak being who could lose his life in the forest at any time.

This was a concern Sylvia had never considered before, being an exceptional warrior herself and having always been surrounded by strong companions throughout her life.

In fact, the bear that attacked Ash today was something Sylvia could kill without difficulty, even without a sword.

Ash is weak.

Sylvia only now realized this fact.

“Didn’t he say he was a… mage?”

Then why didn’t Ash cast magic at the bear?

Was he too frightened to make a proper judgment?

Or was he unable to use magic that could effectively harm the bear?

Sylvia fell into deep thought.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if she lost him at any time.

She would have to prevent him from entering the forest anymore, but she couldn’t monitor him all day long.

“Should I… really cut off his legs?”

No, that would probably be impossible.

Sylvia instinctively realized that she could never harm him.

Then what about training him herself?

Though she didn’t know much about magic, she could teach him swordsmanship.

Even if he didn’t learn the sword specifically, she could at least train him physically.

But if Ash became strong enough to escape the forest, might he run away this time?

No, no, Ash wouldn’t run away.

Well, she couldn’t be certain.

He had only been in this forest for just over a month.

After a year, two years, or more, he would surely grow tired of this isolated life.

To keep him bound to this place without leaving physical scars, she needed a stronger catalyst.

A stronger motivation and reason for him not to leave this forest.

What kind of reason? What catalyst?

What was my reason for enduring in this forest?

Pride in sacrificing myself to protect the world as a hero?

Honestly, hadn’t such positive emotions already worn away completely?

Then why can’t I leave this forest?

Sylvia suddenly realized that she had stopped cleaning her sword and was lost in thought.

She decided to put her thoughts aside and finish cleaning the sword first.

With quick and practiced skill, she wiped the sword, removing the dark bloodstains until it gleamed.

She couldn’t remember where she had put the extra polishing compound or linseed oil.

It was too troublesome to look for them now that it was dark, so she decided to do it tomorrow as she was about to put the sword back in its scabbard.

At that moment, she happened to meet her own red eyes reflected in the sword.

Ah, that’s right.

It was because of this memory, this experience that I couldn’t leave.

Then for Ash too… if I did the same thing to him…

As something terrible crawled through her red eyes, memories and plans…

Knock knock

“Um… Miss Sylvia?”

Ash knocked on Sylvia’s door and called out to her.

Sylvia hurriedly put the sword back in its scabbard and pushed it under the bed as she replied.

“Ash? What is it?”

“…Uh, well… you see.”

“Just a moment.”

When Sylvia opened the door, there stood Ash, fidgeting with a flushed face.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh… Miss Sylvia, you haven’t changed your clothes yet.”

“Ah, yes. I had some things to do. I’m about to change and go to sleep. Why?”

“…Well, you see.”

Ash was moving his lips and twisting his body nervously.

What is it, how cute.

Looking at Ash’s face, it seemed he had something he wanted to say but found difficult to express.

Sylvia smiled gently and urged him on.

“It’s okay, tell me.”

“…Well.”

“Go on.”

“…Oh, whatever.”

Ash closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth.

For all his determination, a very small voice flowed from his lips.

“Just for tonight… could I sleep with you?”

For a moment, Sylvia stopped breathing.

She thought even the sound of her own breath might cause her to mishear what he had just said.

“…What?”

“Well…”

“Say it again quickly.”

“Um… can I sleep with you?”

Ash, who lowered his head shyly and looked up slightly as he spoke, was incredibly cute.

Sylvia felt that if she relaxed her tension even a little, her expression would crumble, so she tensed her brow to hold steady.

“J-just for tonight!”

Ah, this won’t do.

Sylvia briefly grinned.

Though she quickly changed her expression, she was still forcibly pulling down the corners of her mouth that kept trying to rise as she mischievously asked:

“Hmm… why?”

Ash turned his face away in embarrassment and covered his mouth with his adorably clenched fist as he spoke.

“Ahem… well, somehow… the sounds from the forest at night…”

“The sounds?”

“…Today they just… seem a bit scary.”

Wow,

This is crazy.

Instead of answering, Sylvia instantly grabbed Ash’s wrist.

Her hand moved so quickly it looked like a snake’s head catching a mouse.

“Miss Sylvia…? Whoa!”

Then she pulled Ash forcefully and slammed the door shut.

The door did not open again until the next morning.

.