#071
“…What did you say?”
I definitely thought I’d heard wrong. From drinking liquor… no, I only had three or four drops? Even I wouldn’t get drunk from that amount. No, am I drunk?
“I said sleep with me until we collect all the Fragments of the Sacred Tree.”
Perhaps sensing confusion in my expression, Carlisle spoke again gently. I was dumbfounded.
“Uh… we’re already… sharing a bed in the tent though?”
Even though I knew that wasn’t what he meant, I had no choice but to respond that way. It was a desperate attempt, hoping I had misinterpreted. But at my stupid response, Carlisle’s mouth corners inevitably twisted.
“Are you pretending to be innocent now? You understood what I was talking about.”
Of course I understood. That’s what made it more problematic.
‘He’s approaching it this way?’
It was utterly bewildering.
Of course, many things were tangled up since this was a game world, but anyway we were both adults and had already kissed. I hadn’t completely avoided thinking that if the mood ripened a bit more, things might develop in that direction.
To be more honest, when I discovered Carlisle Lightinger in front of my bedroom door today, I was secretly nervous that the atmosphere might lead to at least a kiss. While following him to the study, I kept worrying whether I should accept or refuse if that happened.
But I never expected a proposal to come out so bluntly, like some business deal.
“No, why… suddenly like that…”
I stammered without realizing it.
Of course, people have things like love-hate relationships and impulses. Setting everything else aside, some people prioritize physical desires above all. Some people are more comfortable with one-night stands with complete strangers, and others might find it easier to sleep together again because of past history.
To Carlisle, I probably seemed like someone who was okay with both one-night stands and sex with ex-lovers. But what about Carlisle Lightinger? Was he that kind of character? Of course, the world had changed and his character had changed a lot too, so his values in that direction might have changed significantly. Had Carlisle been living a promiscuous life since the divorce?
Was it common to suddenly propose being sex friends like this—not getting back together because feelings had rekindled, not riding the mood when emotions were still ambiguous?
No matter how generously I looked at it, Carlisle’s current expression didn’t seem like someone courting someone they still had feelings for. Having seen Carlisle’s expression in the desert’s sudden event when he truly seemed to be in love, the difference struck me even more.
Honestly, earlier when I thought Carlisle might still have feelings for me, my heart had stirred strangely and I’d felt good. It might have been because of alcohol, but more likely because that thought satisfied my shallow pride.
In reality, maybe Carlisle didn’t have lingering feelings for me, but rather was just physically attracted. There are plenty of stories about being physically compatible even without emotional attachment. Plus, with his apparent possessiveness and controlling tendencies, he might be the type who gets annoyed just seeing an ex-partner with someone else.
Taro had said similar things about Carlisle’s tendencies, and hadn’t Carlisle himself said something like that when confronting Muchi’s gang in Wanderer’s Plains? Something about not liking to see someone who belonged to him rolling around in someone else’s hands. So maybe seeing me meet with Eira stimulated him to eventually make this proposal.
As if driving a nail into my thoughts, Carlisle said coldly:
“To answer your question of why—don’t worry, I’m not trying to cling to you saying love has rekindled or that we should get back together.”
“Ah…”
I felt strangely disappointed and my head cooled. It was like being swept up in the atmosphere for a moment before getting splashed with cold water and coming to my senses. From the desert dungeon to after returning to the village, though I’d deliberately ignored my inner feelings and pretended not to know, I had to admit I’d been somewhat excited about Carlisle all along.
I guess it was the expectation that Carlisle might still like me. As that expectation crumbled, I felt a strange emotion that was both bitter and disappointing. My mood sank, and honestly, I didn’t want to accept his proposal. But was this a situation where I could refuse based on my feelings?
If I were to refuse, I’d somehow have to do it indirectly without going against Carlisle’s feelings, but I wasn’t in that mood. What would happen if I acted on impulse when tomorrow was the expedition?
Surrounded by a gloomy atmosphere while pondering this, I caught sight of Carlisle suddenly pulling up the knit sweater he was wearing. His firmly muscled stomach and chest area were instantly revealed.
Hey, wait a minute? What are you doing?
“What, what? I haven’t said I’d accept yet…”
I stammered and stepped back in surprise, but Carlisle’s movements were faster. He didn’t have much to take off anyway. After pulling the single knit sweater over his head, he was immediately bare-chested. Sweeping up his disheveled hair, he stood with one knee on the sofa, straightening his upper body as he looked down at me. Pressed by his intimidating presence, I flinched and stepped back again. But right behind me was the solid armrest of the sofa. There was nowhere to retreat anyway.
I could have jumped up and run away, but I was a man too. When the other party wasn’t even a monster, wouldn’t that be too pathetic? I protested desperately while frozen in place, only rolling my eyes in all directions.
“W-wait, I haven’t even agreed to do that yet, so this is too early…”
Carlisle cut off my words.
“You peeked before when you woke up, didn’t you?”
“…Huh?”
“Look all you want. As much as you want to see.”
My gaze returned to Carlisle’s bare upper body. My eyes automatically widened. It wasn’t because I was newly amazed by his sculpture-like torso. There was something more stimulating.
As Carlisle said, I had peeked before. The tattoo carved on his bare body. Seen from the front, withered branches and vines that seemed to have come over from his back completely wrapped around his shoulders, arms, and chest. It looked like he was caught by living plants.
The dark red stained colors didn’t look particularly beautiful or healthy, just as I’d thought when seeing the tattoo wrapped around his wrist and through his wet shirt. As if…
“It’s contaminated.”
As if reading my thoughts, Carlisle’s sudden words shocked me. Contamination… he was contaminated?
“You don’t have to worry since I won’t immediately turn into a monster or anything. I’m somewhat protected because I originally did Sacred Tree-related work.”
Carlisle explained in a somewhat cynical tone. The eyes saying those words seemed to examine my expression persistently and thoroughly, though I didn’t know why. I was half out of it and had no time to think about anything else.
“H-how did this happen… No, why are you telling me something like this…?”
It was bewildering in many ways. This was the first I’d heard that even people could be contaminated. Moreover, why was he telling me such important information? We hadn’t built tremendous camaraderie or trust, and if love hadn’t been rekindled as he said, why was he suddenly sharing such deep matters? Wasn’t this something where I could exploit his weakness?
Since he’d proposed sleeping together, of course he couldn’t hide his naked body, but couldn’t we just overlook it as having unusual tattoo preferences?
“Didn’t you ask why I proposed sleeping with you?”
Not taking his eyes off me as I couldn’t collect myself, Carlisle continued his explanation in a dry tone.
“This isn’t a tattoo but contamination, so even if I don’t immediately die or become a monster, it causes me pain severe enough to want to die.”
“Ah…”
I had no idea about that. I’d never once seen Carlisle appear to be suffering or in pain. Though he was normally someone without much expression change, even when severely injured fighting monsters, hadn’t he acted as if he’d only gotten light scratches?
‘Come to think of it, his body was always abnormally hot. Was that actually a fever?’
If this were reality, I would have thought seriously about it, but since it was a game world, I hadn’t taken it that seriously. He was also someone with the wealth to casually use top-grade potions.
But I still didn’t understand why he was confessing this to me, or what sleeping with me had to do with it. I wasn’t some fantasy healer or priest…
“Don’t tell me sleeping with me has healing effects or something… right?”
Even though I thought there was no way, I asked that. Carlisle didn’t answer but stared at me while tilting his head slightly. Since he didn’t deny it, my absurd guess seemed to be true. My mouth fell open. It was ridiculous.
Of course, as the player I’d have special aspects, but I was still just an individual farmer in a farm management game. This wasn’t an adult-rated genre where sexual contact provides healing. This was a development I never expected.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
