How would parents feel if they heard that the son they had lost a very long time ago and barely managed to find was a sodomite?
…I don’t know, fuck.
“Th-that’s impossible! O Serka…!”
“Good heavens, Sir Knight…”
Duke Lebesi, who had been annoyingly composed, lost his reason for the first time and stood up abruptly. He pointed accusingly, saying he couldn’t believe it, then outright cried out Serka’s name. …He seemed to be a devout follower of Serka.
Well, though he’d spent a long time in Serka’s religious order, there didn’t seem to be any particular doctrine about sexual orientation. There was no content about not being allowed to love the same sex or strictly prohibiting it either. Then again, if he was a sodomite, he ultimately wouldn’t be able to produce an ‘heir,’ so unless they adopted a child, the Lebesi family line would end with Ban’s generation.
“That man is your lover? You’re a sodomite? You expect me to believe that right now!”
“What reason would there be not to believe it? I also cannot believe that you would announce my existence as the next heir to Duke Lebesi as soon as tomorrow.”
“Are those things the same? Ha, you must want to live quite freely, making such an absurd lie…!”
“I told you clearly. This man is my lover, and I have absolutely no intention of becoming Duke Lebesi.”
“Ban!”
The duke looked like he might grab the back of his neck and collapse if provoked just a little more. The duke, who had only seemed cold and rational, was shouting, and Leila was staring blankly at Ban with a shocked expression… the banquet hall was truly a complete mess. Only Lady Lebesi sat calmly alone even in this situation, putting down the utensils she’d been holding in her hands and opening her mouth.
“Dear.”
“My lady, you know this doesn’t make sense! I know very well that Ban has no interest in men…!”
“Please calm down. He must have blurted out those words in confusion to avoid the situation, so it would be better to let him go for today.”
“But…!”
He didn’t know what basis the duke had for being so certain that Ban had no interest in men, but the duke, who couldn’t hide his agitation, only closed his mouth after making eye contact with his wife once more. Though he still looked thoroughly displeased, the duchess paid no attention at all and showed Ban a faint smile.
“You may return for today. Next time… yes, next time, please prepare a more sincere lie instead of strange words about a male lover.”
A sincere lie. Even the duchess didn’t seem to believe Ban’s words that Orma was his lover at all. But he couldn’t think of any lie to replace this…
Ban scratched his cheek, then bowed to the duke and duchess, and to Leila as well, before grabbing Orma’s hand and quickly leaving the castle.
Come to think of it, after causing such a scene, the ones he needed to worry about weren’t only Duke and Duchess Lebesi. Ban glanced slightly at Orma, worried that Orma, who had suddenly become his lover, might find it unpleasant, but instead Orma’s red lips were curved into an arc as if he was in a good mood, muttering.
“…Lover? I’m Ban’s lover?”
“I apologize. Were you perhaps displeased? I was trying to avoid the situation somehow…”
“Ban.”
“Yes, Orma-nim.”
“I wasn’t displeased at all, but I became displeased at what you just said.”
“…Pardon?”
What was the problem now? As Ban, who had boarded the carriage heading from the castle to the inn, merely blinked his eyes quietly, Orma, who had finally removed his stuffy hood now that they were alone, smiled wickedly and said.
“Keep pushing that excuse from now on. If you don’t want to become Duke Lebesi.”
“…So, you mean to say you weren’t displeased that I said Orma-nim was my lover?”
“Right.”
He even seemed pleased, so it seemed fine, but if there was a problem, it was that both the duke and duchess… didn’t seem to believe his words at all. Even though they were seeing him for the first time today, it bothered him that they had spoken with such certainty that he had no interest in men.
Even if he was a child they were meeting for the first time today and they felt distant and had no particular affection… shouldn’t they at least ask how he’d been living all this time first? If it were Ban, he felt like he’d ask out of curiosity, but Duke Lebesi himself had only said with completely disinterested eyes that he would announce Ban’s existence immediately tomorrow.
That’s why it was all the more strange… It felt as if he knew in detail where and how Ban had been living all this time.
“If you hadn’t said it, I would have told them myself right then and there. What a shame.”
“I said such a thing because it seemed like you would reveal your own existence directly, Orma-nim…”
“Why, don’t you want to be associated with me? Well, even though all this time has passed, Lebesi still only calls for Serka so consistently.”
“…Even though time has passed? Did you know something?”
“…”
What good did it do to belatedly realize and close his mouth? As Ban narrowed his eyes and just stared silently for a while, Orma finally confessed with an awkward expression.
“Before Herna became a saint, she was a person of the Lebesi family. Back then, I gave Lebesi a magical artifact in exchange for letting Herna go.”
“Don’t tell me the transparent lighthouse…?”
“That’s right.”
After saying it out loud, Orma grumbled quietly that it was no big deal as he confessed obediently, but on the contrary, Ban felt like the situation was becoming a bit clearer after hearing those words.
I see, Saint Herna was from the Lebesi family… Then it all makes sense that Ban is a descendant of Saint Herna and the son of Duke Lebesi. He didn’t know why this wasn’t revealed in the game… Perhaps there was such content in an Easter egg or hidden quest that Ban hadn’t managed to discover.
If he had reincarnated knowing that information, he might have left Serka’s temple and immediately rushed to Gillia to inform Duke Lebesi of his existence and spent his childhood here. As the next Duke Lebesi, perhaps he would have lived a peaceful life completely unrelated to the Evil God Orma…
No, thinking back, even if he had known, it probably wouldn’t have changed much. After all, Ban had reincarnated into this world entirely for Orma’s sake. Even if he had known his true identity, he would have continued staying at the temple, scheming to pull Orma out of hell.
Still… still, if he had known in advance, would his mindset have been different? Would he have grown up differently if he thought he had parents instead of being an orphan?
“What are you thinking about so hard? We’ve arrived at the inn.”
“Just… I still can’t believe that I suddenly have parents.”
“…”
Orma, who had gotten out of the carriage first and extended his hand to escort Ban down, frowned slightly at those words. He seemed to be wondering inwardly whether Ban had been longing for the existence of parents. He worried that Ban might be disappointed in him for hiding it even though he knew, just because he didn’t like it, because Ban might leave him.
Orma, who had been restlessly following behind Ban as he headed straight to his room as soon as they entered the inn, seemingly lost in deep thought, finally apologized.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
“For hiding that you were of the Lebesi family when I knew.”
“Ah… It’s fine. More than that, I’m more concerned about how I should deal with Duke and Duchess Lebesi, who are my parents.”
“Well, what’s so complicated about it? Just live like you do now.”
“As if I didn’t know my parents existed?”
Ban smiled and slowly approached Orma as he asked. Momentarily flustered by how close Ban came, close enough to feel disorienting, Orma closed his mouth. Even though they were inside a room and there were only the two of them, they weren’t about to sleep right now, so there was no need to stick together like this…
‘Why is he acting like this? Did I say something wrong? Is it because I told him to live as he does now? Well, come to think of it, I’m practically an orphan too, so maybe I shouldn’t have given advice like that…?’
While Orma was busily thinking in his head, Ban slowly raised his hands and began to remove his shirt. All the things Orma had been frantically worrying about completely stopped in shock the moment Ban’s white, smooth skin was revealed.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Ban’s body. He’d lifted his clothes to check when he was hit by Banan’s waterspout. But back then, he’d clicked his tongue at the colorful bruises and forgotten about it, and this was the first time properly seeing the smooth body without injuries.
He hadn’t noticed when he was clothed, but Ban’s body had quite a slender frame for a knight’s. Still, the reward of diligently moving his body and training was evident, as his muscles were quite nicely placed, just enough to look good. Moreover, though he’d known his skin was pure white, his complexion was far smoother than expected, and…
‘…Fuck, why are his nipples pink.’
Orma, who had unwittingly made a vulgar imagination while looking at Ban’s chest, hurriedly leaned his body halfway back as if fleeing. If he didn’t do that, he felt like he’d immediately push Ban down backward and grab his chest or put those luscious-looking nipples in his mouth and bite them.
Whether Ban knew about such an Orma or not, he approached even closer with an indifferent expression.
“…You, wh-why, all of a sudden…”
The excessive excitement rather brought forth fear. He looked stupid enough that the words wouldn’t come out properly, but Ban’s following words were enough to completely destroy Orma’s reason.
“Didn’t you hear earlier? Duke and Duchess Lebesi didn’t believe at all that Orma-nim is my lover. So what choice do we have?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Since you weren’t particularly displeased about being called my lover, please make some traces on my body that a lover would leave.”
Would traces remain if he bit and sucked the neck or collarbone area a bit? Ban muttered with an indifferent expression, not knowing what was going on inside Orma.
