episode_0070

And so, a slightly changed daily life began.

After we became lovers and started sharing a room, Ariel and I naturally began our mornings in the same room.

“Did you sleep well?”

We started the morning with Ariel’s loving hug and kiss…

“I’ll leave the medicinal herbs here.”

Killua-nim opened our door and slid the bowl of prepared medicinal herbs into the room.

“Thank you, always!”

Since the toxins still remaining in my body hadn’t been detoxified, making it hard for me to get up properly in the morning, Ariel thanked Killua-nim on my behalf, then picked up the bowl of medicinal herbs she had slid in and came towards me.

“Hmm hmm hmm~ What should we do today?”

As if it were the most natural thing, Ariel, with graceful movements, climbed onto my body lying on the bed. She hummed a cheerful tune and tied her hair back tightly so it wouldn’t get in the way of the massage.

“Exercise… or maybe go for a swim?”

“Swimming is nice, but how about we take a walk into the forest to gather herbs?”

“That’s good too.”

As we exchanged ideas on how to spend the day, Ariel gently spread the medicinal herbs Killua had prepared onto my chest.

Then, with completely skillful movements, she pressed her fingertips down, making the medicinal herbs directly permeate the toxins pooled deep within my body.

“Phew…”

As soon as the medicinal herbs permeated the toxins, a refreshing and invigorating sigh escaped my lips, as if something blocked in my mouth had finally cleared.

“It’s almost completely detoxified. I think you’ll be fully recovered by tomorrow or the day after!”

After confirming that the mass of toxins deeply accumulated in my body had significantly reduced through the massage treatment, Ariel smiled brightly, looking relieved.

“Oh, right! Then let’s go down to Eaton Village today!”

“To Eaton Village?”

Realizing that my body had almost fully recovered, Ariel suddenly suggested a new plan: to go to Eaton Village.

“We need to prepare a house for us to live in, right? We can’t keep imposing on Killua-nim like this!”

“Us… the two of us?”

“Why? Don’t you want to?”

Ariel smiled mischievously, teasing me for being surprised by her suggestion.

“No… it’s just such a surprising suggestion that I could seriously misunderstand it…”

Her words about preparing a house for the two of us sounded as if she was thinking of a lifelong connection with me, that is, marriage.

“Ahahaha~ You can misunderstand as much as you want~ They say many different relationships are born from misunderstandings and confusions in this world, don’t they?”

As if finding my words amusing, Ariel burst into joyful laughter.

Her bold and daring thoughts and actions were often perplexing to me, beyond anything I could imagine, but I didn’t dislike it.

For a while, I had thought the reason she seduced me was either to somehow deal with Killua, the White Mage, or that she had some hidden, unexpected malicious intent…

But as time passed, spending time with her, I realized that Ariel’s interest and affection for me were genuine, without even a speck of ill will.

“Huh?”

Ariel, who had been quietly massaging my chest and helping the medicinal herbs absorb, let out a small gasp as if she realized something, and looked around.

“What’s wrong?”

“Killua-nim went out early this morning?”

Just as Killua could predict Rai’s movements by the necklace containing the magic stone fragment, Ariel, being a mage, could vaguely predict Killua’s location and movements by sensing magic.

If Killua had wanted to conceal her presence, she could have easily erased herself from Ariel’s senses, but since there was no need for it and she disliked wasting unnecessary magic, Killua hadn’t hidden her presence.

“Heheheh…”

Stopping the massage for a moment upon learning that Killua was out, Ariel looked down at me and showed a sly smile, full of mischievous intentions.

I, too, met Ariel’s gaze, smiled faintly, and moved my hands to lightly caress Ariel’s thighs, which were resting on my body.

“It looks like we’ll have to go down to Eaton Village in the afternoon~”

Ariel burst into laughter, as if finding the situation of having to change our plans again amusing. She leaned forward, as if to emphasize her seductive body, and began removing her underwear from beneath her thin nightgown.

“Oh~ And there’s one very important piece of news.”

Then she whispered in my ear in a very secretive and sweet voice.

“Today is my dangerous day.”

“…What?”

“Heheheh. Does that clear up the misunderstanding?”

As if not wanting to repeat embarrassing words, Ariel stammered her words with a slightly flushed face and a laugh.

“So, in the afternoon, we need to go down to Eaton Village and choose a good house for us to live in. Understand?”

“Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll pick out a wonderful house for you.”

Unable to hide my bewildered laughter at Ariel’s peculiar declaration of love and proposal, I simply burst out laughing and gently pulled her into a hug.

————–

When I came out of the room feeling refreshed and happy after our passionate encounter.

Killua, who was sitting at the table leisurely enjoying a cup of herbal tea, glared at us as we walked out of the room with slightly flushed faces.

“I told you… to refrain from public displays of affection inside the house.”

“Eh… uh… Killua-nim?”

Ariel had clearly said that Killua-nim had gone out.

Flustered, I looked at Ariel, who had followed me out, my eyes demanding an explanation.

“J-Jazel, really~ Even if I like you *that* much… Eheheheh…”

Ariel stammered her words so obviously that it was clear she was lying, and awkwardly chuckled while lightly punching my shoulder as if to say I was hopeless.

“Ah… no… that…”

Firmly believing Ariel’s words, I had been convinced that Killua was not in the house and had poured all my energy into our passionate encounter.

And crucially, her single phrase, “Today is my dangerous day,” made me burn even hotter.

Surely, embarrassing moans and the loud sounds of skin hitting skin must have echoed throughout the house.

“I… I’m sorry.”

Having nothing else to say but an apology, I frantically rubbed my face with both hands to dissipate the heat that threatened to make me blush scarlet, then offered Killua-nim a sincere apology.

“Well… there’s no need to apologize, since it’s proof that the two of you are very well-suited.”

Killua, who had calmed her emotions by taking a sip of the warm tea from the teacup in her hand, looked back at Ariel and me with noticeably calmer eyes.

“And I’m planning to leave tomorrow.”

“What did you say?!”

“Huh?!”

At her shocking words that followed, Ariel and I couldn’t help but gasp simultaneously.

“Jazel’s body seems fully recovered… and there’s no reason for me to waste any more time here, is there?”

Killua swung the pendant around her neck.

Killua-nim had the goal of recovering all the fragments of the broken pendant.

The only reason she was wasting time in this forest now was solely to treat me, who had been poisoned by slime.

According to Killua’s words, once all the toxins in my body were detoxified with tomorrow’s final treatment, Killua would have no reason to remain in this forest.

“Are you really planning to embark on that dangerous journey alone?!”

The journey to find the pendant fragments was certainly not easy.

Although she had recovered one fragment, a journey undertaken by Killua-nim alone, with her magic at the level of an ordinary person, seemed far too dangerous.

“No. I’ve found a companion.”

Killua pointed to the hero diligently working the herb garden outside the house.

“Compared to my old secretary, he’s a bit idiotic… but he’s a very loyal and reliable porter, isn’t he?”

The hero, who had been diligently tilling the herb garden, must have felt our gaze on him, as he turned to look at us.

And with a still bright and goofy smile, he proudly raised his left hand, wrapped in bandages, and gave a thumbs-up.

“Perhaps we too…”

However, I found it unreliable to let Killua-nim leave accompanied by such a foolish hero, so I glanced at Ariel and cautiously tried to suggest accompanying her.

“Jazel.”

But Killua-nim, with a calm yet very clear voice, called my name, cutting off my words.

“It would be best for you to stay here. You’ve found a good relationship, haven’t you?”

Killua mentioned the “good relationship” and looked at Ariel.

At her gaze, Ariel cautiously approached me and gently clasped my trembling hand, which was shaking from Killua-nim’s shocking announcement.

“Don’t worry about me. Have you forgotten that I’m the White Mage? Unlike last time, I have magic now, even if it’s small.”

Killua demonstratively raised her index finger and moved her magic.

Just as she said, unlike when all her magic was lost, the shimmering aura of magic rising from her fingertips wriggled like a living dragon.

“Now, abandon the idea of being the White Mage’s secretary. You can live as an ordinary Jazel.”

I knew that the moment of farewell would come someday.

Every night, I had imagined that moment, contemplating how to bid farewell coolly and without regrets…

But as the moment of farewell actually approached, I realized that all the contemplation from those many nights had been in vain.

“Killua-nim…”

Forgetting all the words of gratitude or farewell I had prepared for this moment, I could only foolishly murmur her name.

“It’s not a permanent farewell, so don’t be too gloomy! Once I regain my full power, I’ll come back to visit, so prepare a grand welcoming ceremony!”

With a smirk, as if she had expected my pathetic reaction of merely mumbling her name, Killua approached me and patted my shoulder.

Yes. She was right.

The journey to recover all the pendant fragments was certainly not an easy task.

But Killua-nim would successfully complete that arduous journey and return with a confident expression, as if it were nothing.

Because Killua-nim was an incredibly great White Mage, so much so that she would be recorded in myths.

“Alright~ Let’s save our proper goodbyes for tomorrow! For today, let’s focus on our own tasks. I also have a lot of luggage to pack if I’m leaving tomorrow.”

With those words, Killua smiled brightly and, as if prepared, picked up a large backpack and entered her room.

Watching her retreating back, I became certain that Killua-nim was truly determined to leave. I could only stare blankly at her room, which was noisily rustling as she presumably took out all sorts of luggage.

“Shall we~ take a little walk?”

As if sensing my troubled mind, Ariel gently pulled on our clasped hands, suggesting a walk.

Thinking that, as she said, walking a bit while feeling the forest breeze would be more helpful than standing idly here, I gave a small nod and followed Ariel’s tugging hand, stepping outside.