6.

In the bed a few times, twice in the bathroom, once again while heading back to the bed, once after a meal on the table, and then again in the bed…

It was hard to recall everything. I’d pass out as if I were unconscious, wake up, and then it would happen again, and again. During all this, the curtains covering the windows were never drawn, so in the room where no light seeped in, it was impossible to gauge how much time had passed.

Kelian added a justifiable reason for going to such lengths. He said it was to purify my curse.

If that were the reason, I should have felt gratitude beyond justification, but instead, a slight suspicion arose whether that was the real reason. And that suspicion made sense because he was truly relentless…

Despite washing intermittently, my whole body was soaked with semen and fluids. I carefully removed Kelian’s arm, which was hugging me from behind as he slept, and tried to get up from the bed… but I collapsed again. I had no strength in my body.

“Rest more.”

A voice, devoid of any sleepiness, restrained me.

“Kel…”

I tried to call his name but closed my mouth at the sound of my cracked voice. He wrapped his arm around my waist again. I felt his wet tongue lick my shoulder. I shuddered with a strange tickle and turned to face Kelian within his arms.

“Did you sleep? Aren’t you tired?”

After clearing my throat a few times, a proper voice came out, albeit still a bit off. He pondered my concerned words before answering.

“Well, I feel clearer than ever.”

With that, he pressed his waist against me. His already erect member rubbed against my thigh. It was unbelievable.

“Are all men like you, Kelian? Honestly…”

From what I remembered of Malri’s story, not all men were like this. Kelian seemed excessively driven. At my words, he frowned slightly and tightened his embrace.

“Don’t be curious about other men, Aine.”

That wasn’t my intention… Sure, I was curious if other men were as extremely virile as Kelian or if it was just his unique trait, but I didn’t mean to make him so wary as if I were about to cheat…

“That’s not it… I only have you, Kelian.”

“And I only have you, Aine. Forever.”

Suddenly confessing like this made me feel awkward, yet a part of my heart felt warm. Despite everything, I was also deeply enamored with him. I hugged him tightly within his arms.

“What about the curse?”

“I haven’t received any notifications, so it doesn’t seem to be completely purified yet.”

“Any other pains?”

“Not…”

“Not?”

I didn’t know whether to say yes or no. My limbs were trembling from the constant ordeal, and I couldn’t even get out of bed, especially the part where I accepted him was sore. It was just a bit embarrassing to admit it outright to the one who caused it.

“Just… a bit down there.”

Fortunately, Kelian understood immediately with that hint.

“I’m sorry. I should have been more restrained.”

The fact that he said he should have been ‘more’ restrained implied he had already tried to be. It was hard to believe my own ears.

“It would be better to treat it first.”

Unlike me, who was too weak to even move, Kelian got up from the bed without any hesitation.

Our clothes were stripped off and thrown around the room, so we were both naked. Though it was dark, the lamp was on, allowing me to see Kelian’s naked body as he saw mine. That beautiful and firm body had tormented me so…

“I’ll call Sayiris.”

His words snapped me back to reality as I was admiring his naked body. I tried to get up hurriedly but fell back sideways with a groan, hastily stopping Kelian.

“No, Kelian!”

He was about to leave the room but stopped and looked back at me with a puzzled expression. Sure, if Sayiris used her magic to heal me, my tired and aching body would be restored, but receiving treatment from her in such a messy state would be too embarrassing to even look her in the eyes afterward.

“At least let me wash before calling Sayiris…”

At that moment, the door suddenly swung open. Kelian and I both turned our heads towards it. There stood Sayiris, in an unusually casual outfit, with her silver hair tied and draped over her left chest, as always with an indifferent expression. I let out a weird scream and hid myself under the blanket.

“I was just about to call for you.”

“I thought I heard my name while passing by this room.”

“You came at the right time. Please treat Aine.”

“Is she injured?”

“It seems so.”

Kelian’s eyes grew heavy, probably recalling my earlier words about my discomfort. To say it hurt would be an understatement. More accurately, it felt like his large organ was still lodged inside me, leaving me sore and weak-limbed. But it was too embarrassing to explain that in detail to the one who caused it.

“I see.”

With a brief, indifferent response, Sayiris walked over to me, who had only my face peeking out from under the blanket. Although my body was covered, there was no way to hide the traces on the sheets or the smell of sex filling the room. It was already so obvious that there was no point in hiding it.

Feeling awkward and embarrassed, I greeted Sayiris first, who came to offer treatment.

“Hello, Sayiris. Good morning, or is it morning…?”

“It’s morning. It’s also the fifth day you two have been holed up in this room.”

“Five days?”

I almost jumped up with a loud voice, but the blanket sliding down made me hastily cover myself again.

“It’s been that long…”

With the light blocked, the room had been perpetually dark, making it hard to keep track of time. But even so, to think I had been doing such things with Kelian for five days…

Of course, I remembered him helping me eat by seating me on his lap and feeding me, or taking me to the bathroom to wash, but other than that, all I remembered were the intense activities that made my body shake and passing out. My face, which was peeking out from the blanket, felt hot.

Fortunately, there was nothing more embarrassing during the treatment process. As the light enveloped my body through the blanket, the soreness and weakness were soon gone.

“Thank you so much, Sayiris.”

“Is the curse healed?”

“No…”

With my head bowed, I answered, and I heard her say “I see” again.

“Then more time is needed.”

“Pardon?”

Sayiris gave me a look as if saying I should have said so earlier and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“I’ll put a locking spell on the door so no one can disturb you. You won’t be able to leave either.”

Excuse me? No… what? Suddenly, Sayiris was explaining that she would lock Kelian and me in the room with a nonchalant expression.

“If you don’t need treatment, don’t think about leaving until the curse is fully purified.”

There was even a faint madness in her voice. Wait a minute.

Just as I was about to run to her and beg to be let out, Kelian knocked on the door a couple of times, as if calling out to Sayiris on the other side.

“No need for that. We’ll visit the temple.”

“A cleric might be less effective than you for the curse.”

“Even so, I’m not consciously using my holy power… It’s safer to combine both methods.”

“Hmm. But still, rolling around in bed for three more days…”

Sayiris…?! While they were having a matter-of-fact conversation, I was the only one blushing like a drunk person.

After briefly contemplating, Kelian shook his head.

“We’ll go to the temple first.”

“Alright.”

“Go ahead. I’ll wash and come down.”

A faint light flickered from the door, indicating that the locking spell had been lifted. As Sayiris’s presence disappeared, Kelian pulled me out from under the blanket and held me. Without a hint of amusement at my dazed expression, he washed me gently, and after coming out of the bathroom, he proposed a trade.

[Do you accept the trade request?] [Yes/No]

I finally came to my senses and looked at the message in front of me before glancing up at Kelian. He was now dressed in a tunic and a white robe, looking like a prince or imperial prince from a neighboring country, while I was still completely naked.

“Kelian?”

“It’s for you, Aine.”

“For me?”

Usually, it was simpler to directly take out and exchange items from the inventory, so trade requests were rare. Curious, I accepted the trade, and my nearly empty inventory was almost filled.

[Artisan’s Red Jewel Dress] [Akireta Dress] [Suit made from Fiorrette’s Tears]

Each piece had an extraordinary name, and there seemed to be at least 30 of them. Some of them even had designs familiar to me. This light blue dress, for instance…

“The clothes I tried on at the shop…?”

When did he buy all of them? And now he’s giving all of this to me…

“I’d be hurt if you refuse.”

Kelian spoke first. Whether he intended it or not, his dejected eyes looking down at me made it difficult to refuse…

“But… this is too much.”

“I already bought them.”

That was true. Moreover, we had just crossed from the village with the shop into the imperial capital. Kelian continued to explain why I had to accept these clothes.

“And I ruined your dress.”

“What dress…?”

“The dress you were wearing.”

He pointed to my white dress crumpled in a corner of the room. It was indeed stained and wrinkled, though not ruined. It wasn’t torn or anything, so it could be cleaned.

“Aine.”

He called my name, kissing the rim of my ear in a way that made my mind foggy. With him looking ready to push me back onto the bed, I couldn’t help but say.

“Yes, yes, I understand, I understand, so stop…”

“Thank you.”

He gave me a faint smile and kissed my lips. That’s what I should say…

“Thank you… really…”

Since my white dress was unwearable for now and I wanted to wear something gifted by him right away, I took out the light blue dress from my inventory.

The other clothes were either brightly colored or had ornate patterns and decorations, fit for a party. This one, however, had a simple yet elegant charm that seemed suitable for everyday wear. Kelian tied the knot at the back for me.

“…”

After dressing up, he didn’t say anything. I remembered he had said it looked good on me when I tried it at the shop.

“Does it not suit me?”

“It suits you.”

Luckily, his positive response relieved my awkwardness. His fingers traced my exposed neckline, shoulders, and collarbone, sending a slight shiver through my body.

“It’s just that my marks are visible.”

“Marks?”

Startled, I walked over to the full-length mirror in the room. It was too dark to see clearly, so I pulled back the curtain to let in the sunlight and looked at my reflection…

I almost let out a scream. Maybe I did.

Every part he had touched earlier was covered in marks from his bites and kisses. There were too many to pass off as insect bites; even someone inexperienced would see through it.

Wait, what about when I was fully undressed? I hadn’t checked my body in the light, so I had no idea what it looked like under the dress.

“Sorry.”

This time, Kelian seemed genuinely apologetic, realizing it was no small matter. He covered his mouth with one hand and looked away, embarrassed.

“…I must have lost my senses.”

It seemed he really had…

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

When I went downstairs, Jenin greeted me warmly first.

“Aine!”

“Jenin!”

Her usual calm acceptance made me feel glad as I hugged her.

“How’s the curse? Sayiris said it’s not fully purified yet. Shouldn’t you go back to the room? Is it okay for you to be out here?”

“…”

Though she seemed eager to lock Kelian and me back in the room like Sayiris, embarrassment was one thing, but joy at seeing her was another.

“What’s with the robe?”

Dain, sitting with a casual posture, pointed to the robe I was wearing.

Wearing winter clothes that covered my neck to hide the kiss marks was too hot for the weather, so I decided to keep the blue dress on and covered the exposed areas with the white robe Kelian gave me. Coincidentally, Kelian was also wearing a white robe, making it look like we had deliberately matched our outfits.

“You’re not even trying to hide it anymore, huh.”

Dain squinted his eyes and muttered before turning his head away with a snort. For Dain, that was quite a restrained reaction. Considering the explicit comments from Sayiris and Jenin, it was likely that Dain was aware of my relationship with Kelian. Even so, he didn’t seem particularly angry, which was puzzling.

“Eat a lot. You need your strength.”

“Thank you, Barkrud.”

Although it hadn’t been long, it felt like ages since we had a meal together. It was a touching moment to be able to share a meal with them, even after the truth had come out.

“So, the plan is to proceed once Aine’s curse is fully purified, right? We can’t carry out the plan with Aine still cursed.”

After the meal, Jenin suddenly brought up the topic. Was she referring to the ‘new plan’ she mentioned before? And what did she mean by saying I was the core of the plan?

“What is this plan about?”

“Oh, the plan? Hehehe.”

Jenin laughed mischievously. It was an expression that didn’t suit her usual bright demeanor, but right now, it was perfect. Resting her chin on her palm with one elbow on the table, she continued.

“It’s called the Aine Level-Up Operation!”

“Level up…?”

“If we put our minds to it, Aine can level up quite a bit in a short time.”

She wasn’t wrong. Traveling with them had significantly increased my level, from level 7 to level 29. While it still wasn’t comparable to their high levels, it was enough to earn me Warrior treatment back home. But was my level still a concern?

“What about the SS-grade rare dungeon?”

“What?”

“That was the original plan, right? To gather qualifications, it’s time to move on to the SS-grade rare dungeon.”

It didn’t make sense to delay their original plan for my level-up. I already owed them so much.

“My curse will be fine for a while. After all, with Kelian… we did, you know… and I also received purification at the temple.”

Unable to directly say that the curse’s pain wouldn’t return soon because of our five days together, I ended up rambling. In the end, I firmly expressed my conclusion.

“So, you all should go to the rare dungeon.”

Despite my firm statement, they didn’t seem pleased. Especially Kelian, who reacted immediately.

“Are you trying to run away because you hate me…”

“No, that’s not it.”

I shook my head, holding his hand under the table.

“I’m just saying it’s not efficient. I’m grateful for your help, but it would be better if you achieved your goal of clearing the SSS-grade rare dungeon first and then helped me when you have more time. I won’t suffer from the curse for a while since we… well, spent five days together. I can work on leveling up by myself in the meantime.”

They listened silently to my long speech. They listened so well that there was a long silence afterward. Kelian seemed quiet because I was holding his hand.

Hmm… Did they agree? Just as I was getting curious about their response, Dain spoke up first after the silence.

“You’re misunderstanding something.”

Leaning back in his chair, he looked more haughty than usual.

“Clearing the SSS-grade rare dungeon isn’t that important to us.”

“What? But when we first met, you warned me not to talk about it elsewhere, as if it were crucial.”

I vividly remembered his stern warning, as if it were yesterday. Dain also seemed to recall that moment and cleared his throat a few times before raising his voice.

“That was because I didn’t want people gossiping! And, at the time, I didn’t like you.”

His violet bob haircut fluttered slightly with each breath. The more I listened to him, the more confused I felt. I couldn’t help but ask.

“So, do you like me now?”

“…”

Really? After all the suspicion and nitpicking, he now liked me? Did that mean he had genuinely accepted me, not just following along with the others? Waiting for his answer with a stare, Dain finally showed his characteristic irritation.

“Think whatever you want!”

Even his irritation seemed less intense than before, which was surprising. Perhaps he felt sympathy for me because of my rare curse. While I pondered, Jenin, who was sitting next to Dain, spoke with barely hidden amusement.

“Dain is telling the truth. Clearing dungeons is fun, but honestly, we only do it because there’s nothing else for us to do together.”

“I like it.”

“Except for Barkrud. Haha.”

Jenin winked at Barkrud, who nodded solemnly.