Episode 25: Murishi, The Species That Eats Monsters (11)
For Kaiton to truly be able to live without hiding his identity, restoring his honor was the top priority.
She had to leave Sharan’s palace tonight.
She’d gotten the fragment of Ur that Rovelia had, and also acquired Nihil, which could safely store the fragments. Now it was time to go and obtain the three fragments scattered throughout the kingdom.
She was lucky to have met the Murishi. Their speed was better than Muriel’s, so it would be more convenient. It would’ve been great if she could learn the magic of walking on the wind from Kaiton, but it was magic, afterall.
“Muriel, would you like to try this cookie?”
It was Rovelia.
It was the first time Muriel encountered Rovelia in prayer with the priests, which happened every morning and evening. It was because Rovelia always finished praying before Muriel and left ahead.
“No… I don’t have much appetite.”
To Muriel, who couldn’t taste, the cookie was like a pie in the sky. Would eating a cookie feel like chewing crumbly sand?
Muriel looked at the fragrant cookie with a melancholic gaze and shook his head.
“I baked the cookies myself to give them to Muriel. Please try it.”
“You made them yourself?”
No way. She couldn’t imagine Rovelia with an apron around her waist and busily moving around a kitchen.
“Baking is my specialty. Have a bite.”
“…No, I really…”
“Just one bite, please, for my sincerity.”
Unable to refuse any longer, Muriel took a bite of the cookie. It felt burdensome that Rovelia was looking at her with a twinkle in her eye, but the cookie was better than she thought.
The texture was more like mud than sand, making it easy to swallow, and maybe because it had sugar in it, she felt a little energized.
Even Muriel, who couldn’t taste anything, had to eat food to survive. She’d forgotten about it while living on watery vegetable porridge all this time, but sugar seemed to improve her mood.
“How is it? Isn’t it good?”
Did she really make it herself?
Rovelia asked with an expectant expression, as if anticipating a reaction.
“Yes, the sugar makes me feel better. Thank you.”
It wasn’t just that; it felt like her heart was pounding… It was certain that the sugar had given her a boost.
“Thank you.”
“…Don’t thank me just yet.”
What does that mean?
Why was Rovelia’s smiling face so eerie? Perhaps it was a lingering habit still embedded in Muriel, a villainous woman, but a sense of discomfort passed through her when she looked at Rovelia.
“I’ll be going ahead.”
“Just a moment, Muriel. Could you let Crawford know that I won’t be able to attend class today?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not feeling well.”
She didn’t look too sick. Did she lose interest after attending classes so enthusiastically these days?
“Well, we can cancel today’s class, then.”
“That won’t do. Please go quickly.”
Rovelia pushed Muriel, who was trying to skip class, towards the direction of the laboratory. With such high spirits, where could she be feeling unwell enough to skip class?
“August isn’t here either… Strange.”
It felt awkward being alone with Kaiton…
Since it’s the last day anyway, should she just run away? As Muriel pondered, she found herself standing right in front of the laboratory.
“But I can’t keep him waiting… uhh… What’s going on? Why all of a sudden…”
Her heart was racing…?
She only remembered Kaiton’s face, but her heart suddenly started fluttering.
She quickly opened the door, thinking she should just deliver the message and suggest cancelling today’s class…
Thump.
She thought her heart stopped.
As if he knew Muriel would come in, Kaiton, who was sitting on the windowsill, squarely met Kaiton’s gaze.
It wasn’t like it was the first time their eyes had met, and it definitely wasn’t the first time she’d seen Kaiton’s face… But Muriel was surprised for a different reason.
What is this…
He’s so handsome…!
“You’re late.”
“Ah… Well… I…”
“…Do you have a fever? Your face is red.”
Kaiton’s brows crumpled as he watched Muriel stumble over her words like a fool. He just tilted his head a little, Muriel’s heart raced even faster.
Since when did he become so handsome?
Until last night, he was just normal…
No… Well, come to think of it, when was Kaiton’s appearance ever ordinary…? Yeah. He was always supposed to be good-looking. But she didn’t think he was this dangerously handsome before…
Did he use some kind of black magic? Like a spell that creates a seductive aura swirling behind him or a spell that can manipulate someone’s heart with just a gaze?
“Me? No way…”
Muriel tried to ignore her trembling breath and regained her composure. She could feel Kaiton staring at her.
The skin where Kaiton’s gaze landed felt tingly. It was because her temperature had risen too much.
“Your breath is shaky. What’s wrong?”
Gulp.
Were his lips always so plump and sensual…? Without realizing it, Muriel stole a glance at Kaiton’s lips and swallowed her saliva.
Those lips… just once…
Subconsciously, she licked her lips with her tongue and suddenly snapped back to her senses.
I’m going crazy…!
What the hell was she thinking?
You want to suck Kaiton’s lips just once…?!
This was getting out of hand.
She needed to quickly get out of here.
“R-Rovelia can’t come out today. Should we cancel the class? I, I’ll go now.”
As Muriel hurriedly tried to leave, Kaiton grabbed her wrist.
“Ah…! W-What are you doing? Let go of my hand quickly…!”
Wow…
She was seriously going crazy…
Muriel struggled to resist the urge to grab Kaiton’s wrist and pull him closer.
Her legs went weak. Whether Kaiton knew or not about Muriel’s desire to push him against the wall and kiss him, he furrowed his brow and stared at her.
“…Where are you going with that face?”
“What’s wrong with my face…!”
“Tsk. Stay still. I need to check what kind of magic you’re under.”
As Kaiton took Muriel’s hand and tried to channel his magic, Muriel couldn’t hold back any longer and let go of her patience that she’d desperate been hanging on to, clicking her tongue.
Those lips, she wanted them!
With their perfect thickness and sensual texture, even the wrinkles on his lips were irresistibly masculine and sensuous.
smack…!
Muriel, lifting her chin, stood on her tip toes and leaned in to kiss Kaiton, practically pouncing.
Her vision blurred with heat.
Just in case he ran away, she gave her hand strength and pulled him closer.
She couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt these emotions. All she wanted was to calm her fluttering heart and quiet her chaotic head.
“Huff…”
Muriel pulled Kaiton more impatiently. It felt like she was going crazy. She just wanted to touch him a little more. With her mouth open, she tried to deepen the kiss, but a firm hand pushed Muriel to the ground.
“You’re out of your mind…”
Kaiton wiped his lips with his hand as if he’d touched something unpleasant. His gaze, filled with annoyance, was piercing Muriel. However, Muriel’s dazed mind was only filled with the thoughts of continuing to feel his lips.
“…Please kiss me.”
Silence.
The sound of Kaiton grinding his teeth rang in her ears.
It was unfair. Tears welled up automatically. There was no way she wanted to kiss Kaiton on her own.
She was embarrassed, frustrated, and angry because her mind wasn’t listening to her.
However, contrary to her confused mind, her mouth moved on its own. Her hand reached out towards him as if begging to be held.
“Sob… Please…”
“…I’ll help you. So shut up.”
To confirm the magic, Kaiton grabbed Muriel’s hand, which stretched towards him desperately. It was a cold touch that made no secret of his contempt and disdain. However, Muriel pressed her lips against that cold touch.
Tingle… Tingle… Tingle…
“!”
Kaiton froze in place.
The unmistakable sensation of her soft lips rendered him unable to move. A small shudder started from his hand and quickly spread throughout his body, making him ticklish.
“Please… kiss me…”
Thick teardrops rolled down Muriel’s cheeks, soaking his hand. They were damp and hot. He thought she would only ever make an indifferent and cold expression, but here she was, shedding tears with a flushed face.
Thump.
Should he crush that ugly face she was making even more? Should he make her cry out? Should he scare her so much that she can’t even utter the words “kiss me” again?
Kaiton couldn’t resist the twisted sadism that arose within him, even though he knew Muriel was just babbling under the influence of magic.
What was this anyway? A potion? Mind control? Hypnosis?
Kaiton struggled to find the magic that was affecting her due to his fading concentration, blurred by Muriel’s lips.
“Damn it…”
“Kai…”
He grew restless. Muriel was covered in complex magic. From the ancient with unknown origins to the first black magic spell he’d left on her himself as a child. That’s why it was taking him a while to uncover the nature of the magic that had befallen her this time.
No. Was it really because of the intertwined magic? Was it not because of Muriel’s warm body temperature and disheveled breath that sneaked in and broke his concentration?
“Stay still!”
When Muriel wrapped her arms around Kaiton’s neck and leaned in, he couldn’t hold back and shouted. He swiftly lifted her up and pushed her against the wall.
He barely managed to sense the magic affecting her. If he had concentrated a little more, he might have been able to lift the spell. But fearing that Muriel’s lips would touch him again, he startled and halted his magic.
“Ugh…”
Muriel twisted her body and cried out in anguish. Even though Kaiton held both her wrists together, she pressed her chest against him as if she wanted to touch him even a little.
“Kai…”
At Muriel’s mournful call, Kaiton gritted his teeth and let out a groan. He was completely swept away by Muriel’s provocation. While cursing Muriel for falling under such foolish magic, he himself was behaving restlessly, like a man on the edge of a cliff.
What you caught is just a faint trace of the magic potion you saw at 0. The kiss you desire so much is merely a playful magic trick. So, put away those longing eyes.
Instead of scolding her like that, he found himself looking at Muriel lips.
“Shaaa…”
“Haa…”
He met Muriel’s breath as if he wanted to steal it away, entwining his tongue deeply.
His shameless tongue immediately adhered. The hot and velvety touch fueled his impulse.
“Don’t move.”
Kaiton growled and warned. A metallic sound escaped from his low-pitched throat. It was funny. Because even to his ears, he sounded full of emotions.
He abruptly bit down on Muriel’s lips, which seduced and sobbed for him like they were in a dream. The fishy smell of blood spread within the hot mouth. However, Muriel still wore a dazed expression as she rubbed her body against his chest.
“Hmm…”
Every time she rustled, cold sweat ran down his entire body. Even though he firmly held her hands, he was afraid she would completely overwhelm his body. This was foolish.
It felt as if a demon was stealing away his pacio. A chilling terror dragged him down to the ground.
“Hff… Muriel Storm!”
He wanted to pull her hot body closer, even more tightly.
At the same time, he wanted to push that softness of her away.
Helplessly, he kissed her deeper.
Muriel’s about to receive a rizztraining order after this makeout session
