Ch.47Confinement (3)

This is the story of how I returned to the cold underground.

“Ah…”

I let out a low groan, bound by the chains of the guardian ability. I recalled the past when I was repeatedly imprisoned by Irefi.

“What should I have done?”

Back then, I tried to shake off my fear and charged straight at Irefi.

With clenched fists and screaming to numb my reason, I tried to overpower her.

At that moment, in the world slowed by my heightened senses, Irefi’s eyes reflected me clearly.

The image of a man with a distorted face charging forward appeared in the blue lake of her eyes.

It was the moment when this foolish man unleashed his strength, maximized by Malice, and swung his fist.

She, Irefi, smiled serenely. It was as natural as if she were enjoying teatime conversation.

‘I couldn’t do anything.’

Irefi’s smile was accompanied by a clear light like a meteor. And memories of the past pierced both my temples like lightning.

From our terrible first meeting to the night I held her in my arms, everything flowed like a stream, unfolding like a film narrative.

As a result, my fist… never reached Irefi.

Even though I wanted to extend my fist just an inch further, it wouldn’t move forward. Only my trembling fingertips slowly opened. I couldn’t do anything.

That’s when I painfully realized that I could no longer consider Irefi an enemy…

Irefi was already too special to be hostile toward. In a world where I had no relatives, family, or friends, she was my only connection.

She was beautiful Miren’s older sister, and the only person I could spend time with comfortably and enjoyably.

Irefi… was that kind of woman.

[Nepy.]

She called my name.

The sword energy I had raised had long been withdrawn along with the aura I had summoned.

She just looked somewhat bitter, which made my heart ache with pain.

She walked toward me as I hung my head with a tearful expression. As if to comfort me who had lost my will to fight, she caressed my cheeks enchantingly and drew close.

Suddenly—

Irefi embraced me fiercely.

Her right hand wrapped around my waist, gradually moved up my spine, and gently caressed my nape.

My neck was slowly pulled toward her. Our lips, drawing closer at an angle, finally interlocked like gears.

Those gears were so soft that I thought they were like a work of art carved from several layers of cherry blossom petals.

[I like you. Nepy, I like you. Emotions keep overflowing from inside my heart, and it’s hard to contain them all.]

Before joining our lips again, Irefi made one last request.

[So please accept what overflows. I’m scared. I feel sorry and resentful about these emotions that keep flowing away and getting lost. Only you can accept them.]

Immediately after, desire filled Irefi’s blue eyes.

Irefi closed her eyes shyly, as if trying to hide it.

But her tongue, which wrapped around persistently like a snake finishing its hunt, was so explicit and dizzying that it revealed her excited desire.

It was my first kiss.

As if to prove Irefi’s longing, when our lips parted, they left an arch of transparent thread like a spider web after rain.

For someone lost in ecstasy, she showed superhuman self-control.

Irefi stared into my unfocused eyes for a long time. Then, burying her face in my chest, she earnestly pleaded.

[Let’s go back, Nepy. Please come back. I’ll go with you, I’ll try to stay with you. Let’s go together.]

……

Like an idiot, I couldn’t even answer. I just collapsed as the world turned black, feeling nauseous and dizzy.

I don’t know if I lost consciousness or if it was the consequence of losing my ability to think.

When I came to my senses, I was bound in the same place, in the same position, as if I had just had a midsummer night’s dream.

Somehow, I thought the lingering sensation of her on my lips remained like a stimulating perfume, making me sad and painful.

The bitter afterglow clouded my vision like fog.

◇

Actually, I vaguely knew.

I expected that Nepy wouldn’t heartlessly attack me. He was a kind and affectionate person. He was the type who would grumble but never refuse anything.

‘If Nepy had truly meant it, the result would have been different.’

In the duel with Bartlant, Netionpis, who appeared on the surface, showed off his threatening skills. Thanks to that, I was able to confirm one clear fact.

I became certain that Nepy and Netionpis were distinctly different people. The difference in athletic ability and understanding of weapons that would be difficult for Nepy to imitate created the disparity.

If such a Nepy really made up his mind to attack me… the result was obvious. He also knew that he would be easily subdued and locked in the basement while injured.

So I had another thought.

If… by any chance. If Nepy didn’t stop his fist, if he launched an attack with the intention of truly hitting me.

I would willingly accept it and let him go. That was my intention.

I didn’t want my existence and goodwill to be so heavy and cruel that they crushed Nepy’s spirit.

Because I liked him, I didn’t want to cause him pain beyond his limits.

If the situation had been so desperate that Nepy would betray his true nature and our relationship, then I would be committing a disgusting sin.

I couldn’t force the Nepy I truly loved to lose himself.

Fortunately, Nepy’s fist couldn’t reach me. He looked at me so lovingly and collapsed from exhaustion.

Nepy didn’t lose himself. That fact was so passionately precious that I impulsively kissed him. I was grateful and sorry that he didn’t give up on me.

Still, I love him.

I love him so much that I don’t know where such a volume of emotion overflows from.

I like him, like him, like him. The welling affection made me unable to control myself, and I desired Nepy.

“It hasn’t been long… it’s not even half a day since I sent Nepy away. Sigh, what should I do?”

Even while walking down the hallway of the manor, when I think of him, the soft warmth in a corner of my heart revives.

My heart wouldn’t stop pounding, making me too excited to sleep.

Walking aimlessly down the corridor, I eventually arrived at Miren’s room. Carefully opening the door, I found Miren sleeping adorably on the bed.

My only blood relative. My innocent sister whom I hoped would live a pure life, unlike my tainted self.

I feel guilty now, as if I can’t even touch her with my fingertips. Instead, I lean my weight on the bed and look at Miren.

The blanket rustled. Despite it being a very small and subtle sound, Miren’s ears were sensitive. Rubbing her eyes drowsily, she asked in a half-asleep voice.

“Who is it?”

“Sorry, Miren. Your sister woke you up.”

“Sister? Sister Elfi?”

“Yes, Miren.”

Miren turned her body toward me. Her round golden eyes were half-closed, enhancing my little sister’s cuteness.

“What brings you here so late at night, sister?”

“I just wanted to see Miren.”

“Did you fight?”

“What?”

“With Brother Nepy, did you fight?”

My hand, which was about to caress Miren, stopped as if time had frozen.

How does Miren know? Considering the distance from the manor to the main gate, she couldn’t possibly have seen!

Dozens of ominous thoughts flashed through my mind in a short time.

“What… do you mean by that, Miren?”

“Umm, because you’re coming at this hour for no reason… you seem troubled… and if it’s not about Brother Nepy, you wouldn’t be like this…”

I inwardly sighed with relief. Sometimes Miren’s intuition was as sharp as an awl, piercing to the essence of matters.

I pretended to be as calm as possible and reassured Miren.

“It’s not like that. I just couldn’t sleep. And why, in Miren’s opinion, couldn’t I have come because I was worried about you?”

“Sister Elfi is a liar.”

“When have you ever seen me lie?”

“Yes.”

Miren confessed, burying her face in my thigh.

“Both Sister Elfi and Brother Nepy are always full of lies but don’t know about each other. It’s silly.”

“Full of lies… No, Miren.”

“But it’s true…”

“Hehe, what lies has your sister told Miren?”

Miren complaining in her still half-asleep voice was cute. With a pleased feeling, I was about to properly lay her down as she used my thigh as a pillow.

Miren’s next statement bound me like the chains of the guardian ability.

“Well, sister, you like Brother Nepy, don’t you?”

“…”

I remained silent.

It was embarrassing and shameful to have my supposedly impeccable integrity exposed by just one sentence.

I was bewildered that the feelings Miren had detected were my affection for Nepy, which I had only recently realized myself.

Since when had Miren noticed? My little sister, now twelve years younger than me…

“Sister Elfi is a liar.”

“…… That’s right, I wonder when your sister became a liar.”

I felt like I wasn’t myself anymore. I also felt afraid, as if someone had been secretly twisting my judgment signpost from some point.

It was something I couldn’t have imagined as my past self, and I had changed too radically.

Why… have I… become a liar…

Throb—

“Ugh.”

“Sister Elfi?”

I ended up groaning due to an unexpected headache. Because of that, Miren’s drowsy eyes suddenly opened wide.

I’m sorry, Miren. Your sister should have been more careful but woke you up. What should I do?

……

Although what I needed to say was clear, it never came out of my mouth.

Strangely, my will, as if twisted by someone, was uttering words completely different from reason.

Embracing Miren’s nape, I pleaded in a voice that was even chilling.

“Miren is right. So Miren must not leave me… Because your sister is a liar, honest Miren is precious. Don’t leave my daily life.”

I can feel Miren’s pulsating body heat. My sister who is completely here. My precious daily life that I must never forget again.

Now my daily life without Miren and Nepy cannot exist.

“Welcome back. My… my everything… my lovely sister whom I thought I would never see again.”

“Sister Elfi…?”

Miren trembled in my arms.

Only then did I come to my senses and look at Miren.

In my sister’s golden eyes was an unknown emotion, seeing something I couldn’t fathom.

When I tried to recall what it was about, the conversation we just had was completely erased from my mind.

In the end, I could only awkwardly laugh it off.

“Yikes, what did I just say? I think I lost my mind for a moment. Sorry, Miren?”

“… Yes.”

It was still night, with a long journey remaining until the azure sky appeared.