Ch.344Side Story. Hotel

Deia was staying at a place called the Saint-Ant Hotel.

It was a place that had some history for me as well, since it was the hotel that Illuania had arranged for me to rest when I was previously dragged to Greyfond after being labeled a Black Mage.

“I booked the most expensive room. I figured the resting place should at least be nice, otherwise I’d get really annoyed.”

Deia muttered this explanation to me as I followed her down the hotel corridor.

She seemed eager to emphasize that she wasn’t living a luxurious lifestyle.

“You did well.”

Even if it were me, I wouldn’t have let Deia stay in some shabby hotel.

Given the reason for her stay and its duration, it was right to book her into the best hotel possible.

She turned her head slightly to glance at me, then added:

“Illuania recommended it. She said it was the hotel you had introduced her to.”

“That’s right, I did back then.”

Strictly speaking, it hadn’t even been two years yet, but whenever I thought about the past, it always felt like I was recalling memories from long ago.

That’s probably because so much had happened in such a short time. And my current situation—being Shinwoo Kim rather than Deus Verdi—played a part in that feeling too.

“You two didn’t go there together, did you?”

Erika Bright, who was trailing closely beside me, poked my side and asked.

I don’t know why she was trying to appeal to me with such cute little actions today.

Just look at her expression, unable to hide her concern.

“Illuania was pregnant at the time, so they sent her there from Huan’s side.”

“Right?”

Watching Erika sigh with relief while stroking her chest made my feelings somewhat ambiguous.

It was different from when I was with Findenai or Stella.

Those two would subtly try to appeal to me, but with Erika, it felt like she was gently nudging me with small gestures and actions.

If I were an impulsive person, would I have booked a separate room and taken Erika there?

‘Perhaps her past trauma hasn’t disappeared yet.’

After she chased me out of the Academy, Erika had been extremely cautious about approaching me.

Several scenes immediately came to mind.

What she had done for me was close to begging, a determination to shoulder heavy burdens herself, and a wish for my happiness.

Yet I remember her grumbling behind the scenes when she saw children like Findenai, Aria, or Elenoa approaching me aggressively.

‘She probably thought she wasn’t in a position to do so.’

Her position as a professor wasn’t an issue.

I wondered if there was something I should say to her, but my own emotions were in such disarray that I had no choice but to leave things as they were for now.

Click.

Deia opened the door to the top floor suite and smiled at us.

“Thank you for bringing me here. Goodbye now.”

As she said this, Deia reached out and pulled me toward her. Judging by the way she gestured with her chin for Erika to leave, it seemed she was quite displeased that Erika had followed us all the way here.

“I’m family too.”

Was this really the same woman who had been hesitant toward me just moments ago?

Erika’s intimidating tone as she warned Deia was quite impressive.

“Ha.”

Deia crossed her arms in response.

“You’re a Bright, aren’t you? You’re not family.”

“I am family. During the formal meeting, you called me ‘sister’ and helped send Deus to the Republic of Clark with me.”

“This isn’t Deus though.”

“Then he’s not part of the Verdi family either.”

Why had they been giving off this confrontational atmosphere since earlier?

As the two women stared at each other without a hint of hesitation, I finally sighed and intervened.

“Erika, come in. It shouldn’t be a problem if you just talk for a bit and then leave.”

“…I was planning to stay the night.”

Erika entered while muttering something meaningful under her breath. As she closed the door, Deia gave me a fierce glare that stabbed painfully into my heart.

“Order room service. Let’s have some drinks.”

Deia burst out in irritation.

She was a sensitive little sister, even though she was well past adolescence.

Since I couldn’t drink anyway, I told them to order whatever they liked, but they insisted that I make the selection.

Recalling past memories, I ordered wine and some light snacks, then took a brief look around the room.

Since I had seen it once before when looking for a room for Illuania, it wasn’t particularly fresh or new to me.

The night view of Robern visible from outside couldn’t honestly be called good. With only magic lamps illuminating the streets, it was rather plain.

Expecting a Seoul cityscape view here would be too luxurious.

“I’m going to wash up.”

With those words, Deia headed for the bathroom. After briefly glancing at her casual manner, I flopped down onto the sofa in the room.

Erika subtly sat down beside me.

She didn’t say anything special.

Rather than wanting to talk separately, it seemed she just wanted to be close to me.

Tap tap.

Erika tapped my hand resting on the sofa with her fingernail.

“How is it? Can you feel it?”

Was she curious about my prosthetic body?

“Yes, I can. Since I’m using my mana to create the exterior, I can even adjust the level of pain.”

Come to think of it, hadn’t I already shown her several times that I could feel sensations?

Even earlier when we were coming here, she had poked my side.

I was puzzled, but before I could speak, Erika slipped her hand under mine on the sofa.

Then she interlocked our fingers.

“C-can you feel this?”

As I realized she was doing this while already knowing I could feel it, a strange sensation welled up inside me again.

“I can feel it.”

So I decided to go along with her flow.

When she realized I would follow her lead, Erika’s cheeks turned bright red and the corners of her mouth tried to curl up into a smile.

“Ahem.”

Trying hard to hold back, Erika carefully rested her head on my shoulder and leaned against me.

“How about this?”

“Yes, I can feel that too.”

“I see.”

If it had been Findenai here, she would have immediately been more direct. If it had been Stella, she would have subtly taken one more step forward.

If it had been the Dark Spiritmaster… in the past she might have been smug, but now that we’d shared intimate moments, I wasn’t sure how she would react.

Anyway.

Unlike the others, Erika stopped right here.

Holding hands and leaning on my shoulder.

Just that much was enough to bring a gentle smile of satisfaction to Erika’s face.

“I like you.”

Just one sentence.

A resonant confession.

The way she rubbed against my arm like a cat, the sweet lemony scent emanating from her, her innocent yet careful actions.

All of these things were making Erika Bright special to me.

She was putting into practice what she had told me earlier today—that she wasn’t meeting me for physical pleasure.

She wasn’t hoping for me to do anything; she was simply happy just being by my side.

Knock knock knock.

“Room service.”

At the voice from outside the door, Erika let out a short sigh of disappointment.

Being a suite, the service came quickly. Since Erika might one day become a Grand Mage, I went to receive the order myself and placed it on the table, just to be safe.

“What? That was quick.”

Deia, who had just finished showering, came out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel.

She had finished washing much faster than she usually did at the mansion.

Wearing the hotel-provided robe, Deia glanced at Erika and narrowed her eyes.

“What were you doing?”

“N-nothing?! Nothing at all.”

“…Go wash up. You must feel uncomfortable.”

Erika hesitated momentarily. For some reason, she glanced at me before saying okay and scurrying into the bathroom.

With her hands on her hips, Deia glared at Erika before checking the wine I had ordered.

“Estie 15-year? Do you like this?”

A rather mild white wine with a clean finish. Back in my days as a spiritmaster, I received so many gifts that I knew a thing or two about wines.

“It’s moderately sweet. Anything too strong or bitter would make tomorrow difficult.”

I had also ordered snacks like smoked cheese and fruit. If it had been Findenai, she would have immediately ordered meat, saying I was being stingy.

“Hmm, don’t people usually order something strong in situations like this to get drunk quickly?”

“…”

“No, I mean that’s what my matchmaking partners did. The guy I met today suggested we drink even though it was still lunchtime.”

Deia plopped down on the sofa and continued drying her hair. I knew she was naturally casual, but she seemed a bit too unguarded.

Especially since the glimpses of skin visible through her robe suggested she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

“I’ll step outside so you can change into pajamas.”

“It’s my room, and I want to be comfortable.”

“…”

Despite my silent hint, Deia shrugged and filled a glass with wine.

“Hmm? This is delicious. After drinking all those violent drinks in Norsweden, having something like this makes my body feel completely relaxed.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Sighing, I was about to sit across from her when Deia beckoned with her hand.

“Come dry my hair for me.”

“Do it yourself.”

“You can use magic. Dry it for me with that.”

Deia was quite good at using her position as my little sister. She knew well that if she spoke like that, I would have no choice but to comply.

“Haah.”

Finally, I went behind her and removed the towel wrapped around her hair. Though my prosthetic body was weak and I couldn’t use much mana, creating warm air from my hands was simple.

Having become a human hair dryer, I carefully dried Deia’s hair.

Was it the hotel shampoo?

A refreshing scent that tickled my nose.

It suited Deia perfectly.

“In the past, I hated being touched by men.”

She murmured, entrusting her hair to my hands with contentment.

The trauma created by Deus couldn’t have been easy to overcome, but Deia seemed to have conquered it through various experiences.

“Actually, I still hate it.”

She added with a slight laugh, though I hadn’t asked.

“You don’t have to force yourself to go on matchmaking dates if you don’t want to.”

If she disliked men that much, there was no need for it. Back then, I had suggested it because Deia had openly expressed her feelings toward me.

If it was causing her stress, there was no need for her to go on matchmaking dates.

“…”

After taking another sip, Deia responded.

“I’ll go. You never know. A man who’s exactly my type might show up.”

“That would be nice.”

When I added that comment, Deia snickered and shook her head.

“You really… haven’t changed.”

She seemed to have a lot she wanted to say.

Several times, Deia opened her mouth only to close it again, ultimately maintaining her silence.

Since her hair was now dry, I carefully let go, and Deia patted the spot beside her.

Without much thought, I sat next to her, and Deia sighed as she put down her glass.

“What if some weird guy shows up at my matchmaking date tomorrow?”

“You’ll handle it well.”

Didn’t she say she had already pulled out her gun and aimed it at someone today?

Dissatisfied with my answer, Deia punched my arm and asked again with more details.

“Tomorrow’s match is with a knight who has some skill. Even if he just enhances his body with mana, he could probably deflect my magic gun, right?”

“It’s still within Robern city. He won’t be able to act too dangerously.”

He might whisper suggestively or make subtle proposals, but Deia wouldn’t be swayed by such things.

She’s a girl with strong principles.

But was this the wrong answer too?

Turning her body completely, Deia kicked my arm and fumed.

“He might use magic or something. What if I suddenly faint and get dragged away? What if he tries to check if I’m a virgin, like that crazy bastard today?”

“You just said he was a knight. How could he use magic…?”

Thwack!

Now Deia stretched her legs toward me, resting both arms on the sofa.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

“Say! Something! Nice! Say something nice for once!”

I wanted to indulge my little sister’s tantrum, but there was a risk of breaking my prosthetic body.

I carefully tried to turn and catch her foot, but because she was only wearing a robe, the skin between her legs was clearly visible.

“Put on some proper clothes…!”

I quickly turned my head away, but Deia’s fervor only intensified.

“What! What! What do you want me to do! I’m going to destroy your prosthetic body! Get out! Get out!”

“I said that because I trust you so much.”

“Shut up! You trust me so much that you set me up with some sex-crazed male? While you play with your fiancée and kiss maids? How! How are you any different from Deus, you jerk!”

I knew it was half in jest, but Deia’s momentum was fierce.

Since my prosthetic body really might break under Deia’s kicks, I finally took drastic measures, turning my head quickly while simultaneously catching both her ankles.

“Let go of this!”

As Deia struggled, the knot at her waist came undone, and her robe was half removed.

“Hueek!?”

Unlike her irritation just moments ago, Deia let out a very embarrassed groan and crossed her arms to cover her chest.

I immediately raised my head and looked away.

“I didn’t see.”

I tried to maintain my composure as I spoke.

“I did.”

The chilling voice of Erika, who had finished her shower and come out behind us, sent shivers down my spine.