Volume 1 Chapter 5 (1/2)

We took a light nap after we finished treating his wounds

Then, we entered the forest again and headed for the village of Urs in the afternoon

The depressing at was bleak and dreary and the air felt like a dying whisper

”——Let's stop here for today”

Louie, who had hardly spoke along the road, proposed when evening was upon us

”We still have sorow thick around here They'll be useful for hiding from the beasts And——I'd like to rest early today”

”……Sorry, your wounds hurt, don't they?”

”That's not what I meant I want to head out before dawn tomorrow ……Because I want us to arrive at Urs when there aren't any Reie tree that looked like it was opening its arms out wide and pointed to it He continued,

”that looks like a good place to stay It has a think trunk, so we'll be able to hide ourselves”

”Hey, Louie, you said that there're Reiht? Wouldn't it be better to change even one or two people back human?”

”……No, let's find the princes first”

Louie stubbornly refused to nod in agreement

I was dejected I couldn't say that I was reliable even if I lied, but Louie wasn't even includingall the emphasis on the resurrection of the princes who could also use divine swords

My dejection soon turned into feelings of alienation To turn Reidom I was the one who had come here with the duty to o get soo off alo——”

”It's okay, I won't go far!”

I jue tree

I argued down Louie, as bewildered, and went off on my own to find branches we could use for a fire I wanted to show hirowled anxiously and moved to accolare and sat back down in a lonely runtled by how Louie and Eru looked attheir child do so far

I quietly furrowed an to walk away

I'll walk around the large tree where Louie and Eru are and pick up branches there, I guess I'll need dead leaves too Plain wood doesn't catch fire that easily

I found a strange shrub while I was looking for branches that looked like they would burn well

Its trunk was shaped like a jug and its rind was rough, as if it was made out of a countless number of hard scales

There was a hollow in the thickest part of the trunk that looked large enough to hide a small child

”I wonder what's up with this hollow Was it made by people?”

I timidly looked into it and was promptly surprised

There was a pool of water in the hollow

”Nice, wewith anticipation I probably wouldn't have thought to drink this if I was still in japan

But water was precious in this world The whole land was parched, and even its springs and streams had all dried up It didn't seeh it was cloudy

This was a huge find, because I was getting worried about hoe'd secure e

I placed the branches I was carrying on the ground and scooped up some of the water in the holloith my hands

”……It looks okay It's not clouded, and it doesn't smell weird either”

The water was smooth and clear It didn't even have any dirt in it

”I'll ask Louie if we can drink this”

No h not to drink the water based off of htly shook the water off my hands and stepped away froe noise from behind when I turned around and had taken a step back to where Louie and Eru were

It's not the sound of beasts It sounds like a bunch of flapping wings?

I stiffened up froot A black shadow covered over me as I turned back around

——No, it's not a shadow!

It was a cloud of insects

A cloud of the countless insects that had been hiding within the hollow

A wave-like buzzing echoed before my eyes A countless number of tiny, elliptical insects swarmed me at once and latched on

I shuddered in a different way froed as revulsion overshadowed s had just swarmed me——

I couldn't move as my mind blanked out

”——Hibiki!”

My petrification finally became undone as Louie's voice reached ……!!

I screas that were crawling and writhing on hs, chest……all over my body

”T, they won't come off!”

The blood drained fro all over the surface of my body as they pleased I was repulsed by the brush-like feeling of their legs and antennae on my skin as they ridiculed me

”Help!”

I screas crawled inside of my clothes Down from my collar, and up intopain from somewhere on my body like I'd been bitten by an ant

I didn't even have the tiet e out

”Hibiki!”

”No, I hate this!”

Louie paled and ca, but I wasn't in any state to answer hiet rid of the insects But even if they fleay at first, they would coain

The bugs, the bugs won't fall off!

The insects squirmed around my body like snakes They were s of their wings echoed froot fros and antennae on onna explode!

”Louie, hel……!”

I'd long since stopped caring about appearances I felt so disgusted that I thought an to burrow intoto me and noisily crawled about my skin no matter how much I shook them off and shook them off

I can't take this anymore I resolved myself to strip off my robes

”Don't hnificantly larger than the others Unlike the insects swar me, his looked a like a bee with a beautiful, aquamarine body that looked like a jewel Louie put it in his mouth for some reason

”Lou……”

He swiftly drew closer to 's body with a crunch and let its bodily fluids pool into hisaround 's fluids, which was a red-purplish color that strangely didn't look like blood at all, stuck to my robes

Just then, the insects buzzed and fleay like a receding wave just as I s odor

”Huh……?!”

The insects had floay almost all too easily As if they were afraid of the fluid that Louie had blown at them

Louie let the creepily colored fluid pool in his ain and walked around me to blow it on my back

The insects crawled audibly as every last one of them went back into the hollow

I was frozen stiff as I stared blankly at Louie

Louie spat out the rest of the fluid in hiser

I did as I was instructed and, after undoingouter robe Then, Louie warnedat the red-purple stains on the surface of er Of course, I didn't want to touch it either

I earing another robe of a si it off

Then, I hugged Eru, who had drawn close to me, to seek comfort fro his fluffy fur

I wasn't as scared as I was disgusted, and I thought I was gonna pass out……

The tips of ht in e swarm of insects inside the hollow

That clear water was probably bait for catching prey They probably used nuer prey

——Wait, what about Louie?!

He'd let the fluid of the boss-like bug pool into his mouth in order to help me

”You have to hurry and rinse out your mouth!”

Louie sently by the are was

The ever-intelligent Eru guessed our next e, which had been placed in the branches of the tree, in his mouth Oh, I see, it's probably better to ently pickedaardly from the fear and chills I'd just experienced, and placed me on Eru's back

Then, Eru led the way to search for another place to stay

We decided to ca around for ten and a few minutes

”Louie, you have to rinse out your mouth”

I offered Louie the water bottle as soon as I'd unfastened the luggage from Eru

The water bottle still about one-thirds filled ater We'd been drinking frugally in order to save it

Louie nodded lightly, poured out a little bit of water into his hand, and rinsed Eru stared at hi felt unnatural Louie turned around, as if to avoid talking to e, and placed it onso rash”

He shook his head as if to say that he didn't mind Then, he left to find branches for a fire after a brief survey of our surroundings

I watched Louie as he worked, a little perplexed What was it? Perhaps he was giving otten tired of my stupidity

I knew that I shouldn't think this way But even still, there was a s cold I wanted hiht, even just once I still felt helpless because I could still feel the bugs crawling all overtoo spoiled, aren't I……”

Just how htened as my mood dropped like bricks I wanted to be useful; it hurt to be thought of as a large burden

Not only had I gone off and declared that I'd find branches on my own and caused an unnecessary uproar, but in the end, I'd even caused trouble as well I had no right to criticize Louie for being cold

I began to hate myself so htly on the ar down my head

”……Eru?”

Eru pushed his nose intoThen, he slowly turned to Louie, who had returned with the branches, and narrowed his round eyes

”Louie”

I walked up to Louie, feeling uneasy from Eru's inexplicable behavior

Louie looked away ever so slightly and sht past ht over

I starting to gethis whiskers up and down in a

I plopped down right in front of Louie, as taking out the tasteless food ays ate froe

Louie looked a bit bewildered as he stoppedfor a second and looked to

The fire wavered and dirow dark Louie's profile, lit up orange by the flaaze

”Louie?”

I called out to hihtly onto his sleeve He smiled back atdoard His behavior confir

”Look at me?”

I resolutely reached out for his cheek only for hiht to its core Multiple thoughts surfaced across my mind and each one asserted that it was the correct answer in rapid turns

When Louie had rinsed his mouth, he'd poured the water into his hand first instead of bringing the bottle directly to his mouth Why had he taken the trouble to do that?

I recalled the pungent s's bodily fluid

Louie had let that fluid pool up in his et rid of the insects that were swarht about it, he'd only blown it onto naled tocolor of the fluid had sly that I teared up The other insects had fled at full speed Was that aqua some kind of queen, like how a queen bee controls the worker bees?

And what if the queen had such a powerful poison in its body that even the other bugs were afraid of it——?

And Louie wasn't talking at all!

”Louie!”

My heart juhout rew cold

I tried to cling to Louie to dispel s, but he looked away for soently pushed me back Blood rushed into my head

”Don't run away!”

I forcefully climbed on top on Louie's knees and clasped my hands on both sides of his face

Louie didn't see like this and he placed his hands behind his back and pulled slightly away in mute amazement

”Louie, open your mouth for a bit”

Louie looked down and slared kindly at me as if to question my behavior

”Hurry”

He si was up no htly-colored hair, tied up behind him, was a little disheveled One lock of hair that he must have missed stuck to my hand as I kept it wrapped around his cheek

The crackling sounds of the fire melted into the silent forest

”If you don't open up, I'll pry your ers”

Louie looked bewildered and pushed against ered him and tried to move me off of his knees At this rate, I'd be forced off of hi on to Louie's waist like I was hugging hiers if you don't listen!

Louie panicked a little upon seeing how keen I was about it He pushed ly than he did before and tried hard to push er than uard, drew closer and surprised Louie by pushi+ng the latter down by pressing his forehead against Louie's chest

Then, he anchored Louie down by s

Eru looked down at Louie, as dumbfounded, and snorted as if to show off his victory

I, too, sat back down on Louie's abdoh him down Louie's eyes opened wide in astonishment

”Open up”

Louie looked horribly flustered as he turned away and tried his best to get up He probably could have ht But I had a strong supporter with me

”Eru, Louie won't listen to rowl that surprised even et away Then, Eru changed positions and laid down by Louie's side and took the latter's ar to keep Louie fro, of course, so he didn't actually bite him

Still, Eru, with Louie's ars as if to threaten Louie that he'd seriously bite if the LouieEru's threat Still, he looked unhappy when I, still sitting on his abdoive it up already!”

Louie gave up and relaxed his body after a short struggle I juers to open up Louie's rew dark and the feeling that hout my body

The inside of Louie's mouth had festered reddish-black as if it had been burnt

”No way”

Even his tongue had turned pitch-black, as if it had necrotized His saliva was a strange color and the skin behind his lips wasoff

No wonder he couldn't talk Not with this kind of pain

”What should I do……!”

My tean to throb painfully

It was my fault I'd let Louie pay for my rash actions

He'd warned me so many times not be reckless

But all I did was rebel for no reason and I didn't even try to listen to Louie, as used to travelling and was faers

On top of that, I'd even been uncooperative because I'd selfishly decided that he was being ”cold” Just how rateful idiot was I?

I abruptly recalled what Fortune had said He'd said that I put aside o row cold, as if so water on et the ently shook his head when I shouted He looked at me with his moon-colored eyes that were as kind as ever and didn't have even the slightest tinge of bla that an apology could solve

What do I do, Olin? I caht end up killing Louie

I was aghast Why was I taking it so easy and being protected, when I was supposed to be the one doing the protecting?

There was soet hurt for me Someone ould wear away his own body to takeaway

”I'm an idiot”

Louie hesitantly touched my shoulders in consideration for me as I lost the words to say I learned of ly conde to use that to buy his pity

Eru, who had let go of Louie's arainst me in worry

”Will theunless I asked This fact, too, pierced my heart

Louie suess the medicine used for external wounds didn't have the ability to detoxify poisons

I tried but ulti ainst Louie's wide chest Louie slowly sat up and gently patto him

What can I do, Olin?

I stiffed up and coveredhis

But wouldn't the poison eventually pass through Louie's entire body if this was left untreated? It was hishis body every tihtly shut The gentle hand patting my back actually hurt me instead

Is there really no way to heal hih my me would do

My brows started to hurt, probably because I'd been thinking too hard I subconsciously placedhard The stone of my forehead

”Oh……”

——The crystallization of the power the Gods gave me

But what kind of poas it? Would it let es and sorcerers existed here Which ic too But I didn't know a single spell

I focused my consciousness at the darkness that spread out before my closed eyes

I could tell that Louie orried

Why won't be blame me? He should just curse me out loud Then, I realized that I had been the one who had stolen way his ability to talk and it hurt soto pieces

”What can I……”

Louie gently placed his fingers on ly on my lips and lifted my head up He looked peaceful Histo me that I didn't need to worry

”I'm sorry——”

I don't know the spell

I don't kno to heal you

But, I know for certain that the Gods gave me power

That's what makes me a part of their……household

So, if I don't know the spell…

Then instead…

I'll bless you, as so a deep breath to solidify rabbed onto the hair that had fallen on Louie's cheeks His eyes, which looked back at htly puzzledto heal Will it work?

Gods were supposed to have pure presences In theory, I should be able to share that purity with others as someone of the Gods' household…… I want to believe I can

I didn't want to get thrown off, so I readjusted rew nervous, and I felt like my heart would jump out of my throat even now

Louie opened his eyes wide in surprise

——Sorry

I quickly crashed ainst his

Louie immediately stiffened up It felt like he had been taken aback because he couldn't understand what I'd done

On the other hand, I was recalling what had happened when Olin had kissedI felt soly soft on ain? I don't rele, and…

I have to open his mouth, or I can't take out the poison!

Louie promptly placed his hand on my shoulder as I squirmed He seemed extremely shaken, but I was just as confused as he was

I aardly put my lips to his and timidly drew Louie's head in closer

Ahh, I don't knohat to do What do I do, Olin! It's hard to breathe, andso hard it hurts

Louie stopped breathing as he trehtly

I don't know anymore, I think I failed Louie wrapped his arm around my back as ly around ed his angle and deepened our kiss

I screah ues entwined It traveled down h my body, and heated up as it dispersed

This——was similar to what happened when Silvai had blessed ues entwined even ht idly to myself

I al's bodily fluid

But, it was so to fly away So the inside of roaned once with his lips still over ly and my consciousness blurred for alike two lovers would, and it was intoxicating

And then I realized

It was probably all right now The sharp bitterness and numbness that I'd tasted from his mouth had disappeared

I tried to pull away in relief

Louie

”Mmph!?”

I pulled a little at Louie's hair in a panic Y, you can let go of me now!

He placed a hand on ainst ain In any case, I could clearly feel the softness and his war's, ran through ain What was I supposed to call this contradictory sensation? Love? It was kind and intense despite it's unreliability Plus, I couldn't breathe

——Louiee!!

I was incredibly flustered Wait, ahh!

And just when ath suddenly leftdown in e i to die Or, should I say that it was rowl in irritation

Louie's arently took his lips off of mine Uwaa, I don't really knohat else to say, but uwaa

I could finally breathe I felt relieved even as I breathed raggedly My cheeks burned brightly on their own

When I secretly peeked up, I saw that the edges of Louie's eyes were soly suggestive

There was char expression on his face that he would normally never let shoas captivated before I knew it

For a short while, hisheat within them, reflected only e crash

Eru had headbutted Louie's back……

Louie blinked a few times and slowly turned around He stared blankly at Eru, as looking back at hirowl sounding ry threat thanup his nose

Eru……that's quite a face you've got there

Eru came to ainst the ground maliciously He slipped under Louie's hand, which was still on h the space in between us Then, he pressed his forehead against my chest and tried to push me away from Louie