Chapter 23 (2/2)

Ernst had felt intoxicated by the man’s tongue. Last night, Ernst had slept with his heart feeling like cotton. That fluffy sensation that had made him feel like he was floating persisted even now.

This was, a person with compatible bodily fluids, was it.

Even so…

Ernst finally arrived at a single thought.

It had nothing to do with being a man or a woman.

That’s right, it already didn’t matter at all to Ernst. Being a man or a woman didn’t matter. Having compatible bodily fluids didn’t matter.

Because he had fallen in love with that man.

Ernst’s feet once again brought him to the library. Now that his situation had come this far, there was another problem on his hands, so he had to turn to some other place for the answers. He still hadn’t yet found a guide for what he wanted to do. In other words, how two men were supposed to do it.

That man had said that he had never taken partners other than women. Ernst was a man, so he didn’t fit. But since the man loved him, that would make him want him.

Ernst looked for everything which had a suspicious book binding. All of the things he pulled out were about men and women. Or beasts.

Ernst felt like he was withering away. Of all of the vast numbers of books he could have chosen from, how did this book end up in his hand. And what in the world was the previous lord thinking when he collected it? Did he read this?

Ernst thought back to the corridor which housed the portraits of the previous lords. Which one of those faces was the lord who was reading about animals and people doing it, he wondered.

Exhausted, Ernst pulled out another book with his thin fingers.

Aah, there it was.

Ernst’s eyes had grown more discerning as of late. Everything about this, as well as its cover, said ‘this is it’.

“Sword and Sword”

What a gallant title that was. If he had looked at it without knowing anything, he might have thought it would be a guide on swordsmanship. But since it had been stored in such a way, this was certainly that kind of book.

Ernst timidly and nervously flipped through the pages. He followed the words.

All of the answers he had been searching for were contained inside.