Chapter 92: Double Room

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‘There are other people inside. The people from the church.’

‘What?’

On the way back, they explained everything to Cedric, and he passed the information on to the paladins. Now that they know how to enter, the paladins should take care of it.

Today, Sugar was exhausted.

It was a relief that they had made the paladins retreat before entering the forest. No one would question it even if lightning struck the forest. With a Guardian around, who would dare question it?

In fact, it seemed like their gazes were full of respect toward him. There shouldn’t be any problem.

Leaving everything behind, Sugar was soon in Riley’s arms, heading toward the infirmary.

“If it hurts, let me know.”

“It hurts! Aah! Something’s inside! It’s weird!”

“It’s supposed to hurt.”

Such a pointless conversation. The pretty nurse filled the gaping wound on Sugar’s arm with something slimy, the process was truly agonizing.

“Don’t take the bandages off. You need to be careful until the new skin settles.”

Afterward, the wound on her thigh was stitched up, and a bandage was wrapped around it too.

Once the treatment was finished, Sugar stepped out of the treatment room.

She awkwardly handed the torn stockings to Riley, only to receive a light slap on the head.

“Did it hurt less?”

“I was kind of serious about it…”

Another slap.

“I just don’t know what you want… You didn’t even use your wish.”

“Why are you always trying to do something? Just don’t get into any more trouble.”

Riley grumbled while rubbing his head. Sugar found his attitude annoyingly frustrating.

‘He doesn’t even understand my feelings…’

She wanted to do something for him, but he kept saying he didn’t need it, and it made her feel disappointed.

Then, she shook her head.

‘I don’t need to say it… I’ll just find a way to do it!’

She would find something that wouldn’t make Riley uncomfortable—or at least something that wouldn’t cause trouble.

Sugar, sitting in the Inquisition, was jotting down the details of today’s events while she wore a determined expression.

Riley, sitting next to her, had a sour look on his face. He could clearly see she was thinking something strange.

The situation slowly wrapped up, and the two of them could finally head toward their lodging by the time evening came. Cedric had arranged a place near the station.

On the way to the inn:

“Riley… I’m embarrassed…”

Out of nowhere, Sugar said this.

What was going on?

Riley was carrying her like a princess.

One might think it strange since Sugar usually sat on Riley’s lap in front of others, but this was a matter of who was in control.

Sitting on Riley’s lap was fine for Sugar because she had climbed up there herself—no embarrassment there.

But being held like a princess by Riley made her embarrassed.

When she was the one messing around, she didn’t even realize how embarrassing it was, but when it was turned around on her she couldn’t say anything and just stammered.

That was her nature.

For Riley, who had almost lost Sugar earlier, he didn’t care. He wrapped her in his arms physically and even magically, using layers of protective barriers. Sugar struggled within Riley’s intense magic.

‘I feel like I’m going to get drunk…’

Riley’s magic flowed into her, quickly settling inside her body, altering its nature. The cycle of pressure on her body made her head dizzy.

“Th-There’s nothing to worry about right now. It’s fine, Riley. Please put me down…”

She wasn’t even wearing stockings, and her bare legs were in contact with Riley’s hands.

The sensation was incredibly strange, and with her spinning vision, she begged but Riley just kept walking.

Even while this happened, Riley’s mind was full of worries.

An unknown crystal tower. The gem dragon’s crystal.

According to Sugar, there were followers of Louveci under the tower, calling themselves “fuel”—corrupted apostles, false apostles… monstrous beings that Sugar refused to even name.

He recalled the monster they had confronted earlier in the day. It seemed familiar. He had seen something similar while walking with Cedric.

The act of fusing humans with non-humans, as if blaspheming all of creation.

‘Why is it related to the Shadow Cult…?’

What was going on? What were they planning? What would they do to Sugar?

The more he thought, the deeper his doubts became and the more unpleasant it felt.

Riley furrowed his brows, instinctively tightening his grip. He held Sugar even tighter in his arms.

Sugar trembled, clinging to his strong arms and it wasn’t long before they arrived at the inn.

It looked old on the outside, but inside, it was clean. Cedric had picked a decent place.

Riley gave the receptionist their names, and they were immediately handed a key.

After entering the inn, Sugar was finally able to put her feet down and caught her breath.

“Isn’t it supposed to be two rooms? Why is there only one key?”

“You only made a reservation for one, didn’t you? Let me check. Yes, it’s correct—one double room reserved under your name, Riley.”

An unexpected comment entered her ears.

A double room.

Not a twin room with two beds, but a double room.

One bed. One room.

Somewhere, she could hear a large, bearded man saying, “I know when to be discreet, even if that’s  not the case.”

Sugar widened her mouth and looked at Riley. Riley just silently accepted the key.

“One room, one, one, one… more, more…?”

Sugar stuttered, but Riley just grabbed her hand and led her to the second floor.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

What was going on? Suddenly, the thoughts she had before getting on the train resurfaced.

She had been excited about the idea of a two-day, one-night trip, but the destination made her feel cold. They couldn’t go on the trip, but the “one night” part still remained.

Sugar lowered her head, her face burning with embarrassment. The warmth of Riley’s hand in hers, even slightly damp with sweat, made her more aware of it.

What should she do? What should she do? This couldn’t be happening. She needed to stop it.

But… if this is what Riley wants…?

She wanted to do something for Riley, but he kept insisting he didn’t need it, which upset her. She wanted to show him gratitude, apologize, and give something to the man who cared so much for her.

‘No! I can’t! No matter what, that’s not okay!’

-Why isn’t it okay?

‘B-because… because it’s weird to do that kind of thing with a guy. It feels wrong.’

-Do you think Riley is like all the other guys around? Are you really that upset?

‘No, but… That’s something couples do.’

-Don’t you care about him more than a partner?

‘I don’t know! Shut up!’

In the sudden turn of events, Sugar began to feel like her mind was splitting. Her head was heating up and she couldn’t think clearly.

Before she knew it, they were standing in front of the door.

Riley put the key in the lock. The sound of metal clicking echoed in Sugar’s mind.

“Sugar.”

Hearing her name made Sugar’s body flinch.

“I should’ve said this earlier, just in case. The thing you’re worried about… Hey! What’s wrong with you!”

Riley froze, seeing her face bright red, gasping for breath. Sugar was in such a state that Riley considered using his magic to calm her down. Though he was aware of Sugar’s discomfort, he usually kept his boundaries, so he turned around while saying not to worry.

But then…

“Why is your temperature so high… Damn it. Is it because of the wound?”

He touched her forehead and clicked his tongue.

Of course, the fever wasn’t caused by the injury.

“We need to go back to the infirmary. I told you to just rest there.”

“I-I’m fine. It’s not because it hurts. I’ll be fine after I catch my breath.”

“Don’t force it.”

Riley reached for her waist and legs, intending to lift her up again.

Sugar jumped up in surprise. Her body had become sensitive due to her fantasies, so she couldn’t help it.

“Look! This is weird! I’m not a poisonous frog… Aren’t you coming?”

“No…! That’s not it, you fool…!”

“The fool is you! Listen to me!”

“Aah! I hate you, Riley… Don’t come near me. No, no! Don’t touch me…!”

Their bickering echoed down the stairs, and the receptionist just shook his head. Working in this kind of place, he was used to seeing bickering couples.

*******************

After a while, things had calmed down a little.

“… You’re really okay, right?”

“I’m fine… I’ve said it so many times…”

Sugar muttered, as if frustrated, with tears welling up in her eyes. She had been struggling with the physical contact. She was already sensitive and being touched constantly made it worse. She flopped onto the bed, throwing the covers over herself.

“Go shower before you sleep. Go shower.”

“Ugh…”

Riley stubbornly pulled off the covers, lifting Sugar and taking her to the bathroom.

“I’ll set up a barrier. And just so you know, I was cut off earlier but I’ll be sleeping on the sofa so don’t worry.”

Sugar closed the bathroom door without answering.

‘Stupid! Stupid! Idiot!’

She immediately began throwing a tantrum. It wasn’t that she was mad at Riley, she was angry at herself for being so foolish.

Why had she had those thoughts? Riley would never act like that, right? She kept repeating those thoughts, screaming in frustration.

‘What is wrong with me, Sugar? What on earth am I thinking…?’

She slammed her head against the bathroom wall, breathing heavily

‘This can’t go on. My thoughts are corrupted. I can’t deny to Ian that “I’m not an perverted Sugar, you know?”’

‘I need to overcome my weakness. With this mindset, I’m doomed.’

“Maturity… I need to become more mature.”

‘I need to break free from this restraint.’

‘It’s clear that I keep having strange thoughts because I’m overwhelmed by Riley, who is big and reliable. I keep relying on him. I need to change my thoughts and break free from the restraint of size.’

“If I grow bigger…!”

Physically, she can’t grow anymore. Growth ended a long time ago.

But that’s not important. This is a matter of mindset.

“The goal is to be a mature adult with a broad heart! To embrace Riley with generosity!”

In other words, Sugar just needed to expand her heart!

“Ugh, let’s do this!!”

Sugar burned with determination as she stood under the shower, the water hitting her like a waterfall. The wound on her body was protected by magical enchantments, so it was fine.

Just as she clenched her fist…

“…Hmm?”

Something was caught in her fist. Smooth and hard, there was something inside.

It was strange, so she opened her hand and found a white stone.

The shape was oddly familiar.

Sugar blinked. She didn’t even know when it appeared.

Now that she thought about it, where did the leftover demonic power from earlier go?

“…”

This was troublesome.

She had no idea why it took this shape or how to deal with it.

Wasn’t it originally black? Thinking back to her childhood, it was something the apostles of the Cult used. With this, they created strange monsters and made strange spaces.

“Has it neutralized while being inside my body…?”

For now, it seemed harmless to hold with her bare hands. But she couldn’t just throw it anywhere.

“What if I offer it as a sacrifice in Riley’s magical book?”

Wouldn’t he eat it? Or maybe it would cause trouble.

She pressed it against her palm, trying to see if it would go back inside her body, but it didn’t.

After struggling for a while, Sugar made up her mind and gently opened the bathroom door.

“Riley.”

“What? I’m busy.”

“Just a minute. Come here for a second. Look at this.”

Sugar only stuck her hand out from the gap in the door.

“What’s this? Wait, this…?”

“I’m giving it to you. From what I guess, it’s a chunk of the demonic power that’s been neutralized. You could use it for research or give it to your book or something. Oh, it’s fine if I hold it with my bare hands, but just in case, you should use your magic to handle it.”

“What? Wait… why are you giving this to me and why now, while you’re in the middle of showering?”

“Well, because it’s you? Plus, it appeared while I was showering.”

“…What?”

“Here, take it quickly. My arm hurts.”

Since Riley was holding a staff for the barrier work, he used it to bring the stone in front of him.

The wet stone that appeared while she was showering. Sugar didn’t know how exactly that could happen, but it had a sheen to it as it came out of the warm water and steam. It looked like it would feel warm to the touch.

“…”

Riley stared at the stone for a long time before carefully putting it inside his cloak.

Should he add it to his Sugar collection—contents: the letters Sugar had sent, wish tickets, and so on—or carry it around? That was the dilemma.