I thought since he doesn’t eat, he wouldn’t sleep either, but he sure sleeps well…… Ban, who ended up embraced by Orma, looked him over with sleepy eyes then closed them again. When he was sleeping so soundly like that, it felt wrong to wake him saying it was stuffy. I can just endure it…….
Ah, but setting aside being trapped in Orma’s embrace, the sunlight stabbing his eyes was uncomfortable. When he turned his head slightly, light seeping through the incompletely drawn curtains of the window was exquisitely touching Ban’s eyes.
‘It’s dazzling……’
Being this sleepy, it was clearly still dawn. As morning came earlier with each passing day, just looking outside the window, he couldn’t tell what time it was at all.
Ban unconsciously squirmed and burrowed into Orma’s embrace, burying his head to avoid the sun. Did that small movement irritate Orma? Orma’s brow furrowed slightly. At the same time as he hugged with full strength as if he wouldn’t let go of the being in his arms, making Ban even more suffocated…….
Something small dropped with a plop from his shadow to below the floor. Moving as if sliding across the floor from a place Ban’s vision couldn’t see, it diligently reached the wall with the window. And slowly climbing up the wall, the moment it finally touched the window, that small shadow that had been only as big as a speck of dust stretched out long and meticulously covered the spacious window.
When complete blackout curtains were drawn, Ban also fell asleep again with a comfortable face. It was a peaceful dawn when only the breathing of god and apostle could be heard side by side.
* * *
“……What did you do to me?”
“You’re the one who hugged me while sleeping, Orma-nim, so if you take that posture, I feel wronged.”
Anyone watching would think Ban dared to molest his god. Isn’t he crossing his arms on both sides as if telling him not to come close, and looking at Ban from a distance as if at something shameless? Ban, who had been organizing his outfit while packing his luggage, was flabbergasted by that sight and just stared at Orma.
“There’s no way I would do that! As if I’d be crazy enough to hug and sleep with someone like you? That doesn’t make sense.”
“What doesn’t make sense about it?”
“That entire sentence just now! It’s strange that I slept, and even more so that I slept holding you!”
The words he shouted in horror were absurd. Ban met eyes with the golden pupils busily moving, colored by bewilderment, and smiled broadly.
“So, did you sleep well?”
“……Yes.”
“Then isn’t that all that matters?”
What’s the problem? At Ban’s words tilting his head, which had no fault, Orma was momentarily speechless. He slept well. It had been so long since he’d experienced sleep that he couldn’t even remember when—the time he’d been far from human life was long. Because he’d wished so much to just kill time thinking of nothing, for his own death, to fall into eternal sleep.
His body after sleeping for the first time in a long while was so light it was amazing, and his mood was so refreshing that something called motivation, which had been gone for so long, arose.
“I’ll gladly offer my body again tonight so you can sleep comfortably, so stop grumbling and let’s depart.”
“……”
The words just now were so creepy he doubted his ears. When he looked at Ban in shock, he was grinning with a pretty face, so it seemed to be a joke. ……Talking with that bastard is a loss. Having lost the will to converse further, Orma covered himself with his hood with a gloomy face and trailed after Ban as he left the inn.
While Ban looked around here and there asking for directions and walking, he kept his mouth shut obediently, but when they finally arrived at a certain spacious stable, even that patience ran out.
“T-two horses, you’re purchasing?”
“Yes, first I’d like to confirm if they’re healthy horses—would that be possible?”
“Of course! Though the price of hay has risen a lot due to the disaster, these are fellows I’ve raised preciously without ever starving them.”
“Seeing the gloss on their coats, it indeed doesn’t seem to be a lie.”
Is there a need to explain with such soul-stirring enthusiasm, spraying saliva just to sell horses? And to seriously listen and add words to it. Orma crossed his arms from behind and stood still, watching Ban’s behavior.
He was a truly fascinating guy. To be able to smile like that even at the one who suddenly appeared and killed him. It seemed like he could enjoy himself with other humans without such hardship, so why was he following me around? And with the absurd title of ‘apostle’ at that.
Thinking there must be some noble mission to prevent the world’s destruction, it did suit that mysterious and beautiful appearance quite well, but. ……Was it because I’m a pessimist that it somehow rubbed me the wrong way?
“How about this horse?”
Having already discussed various things with the horse merchant and made estimates, Ban approached with an expressionless face and gently handed Orma the reins. At the touch that gave it to him as if it were natural, Orma received the reins with an indifferent face and glanced at the horse.
“It might be quite a long journey, so I picked the healthiest and sturdiest-looking one. It seems to have a gentle and docile personality, and apparently has good stamina.”
It seemed so. The appropriately-sized brown horse blinked its black eyes gently and whinnied softly. Seeing its glossy coat and well-groomed mane, the merchant’s words about caring for it with affection didn’t seem to be entirely false.
Only after looking at Ban’s horse, which was smaller than his own and looked timid, did Orma open his mouth.
“Did you buy that horse too?”
“Yes, wouldn’t it be abuse if the two of us rode one horse together? Anyway, I’ve paid, so you can mount up and depart right away.”
The journey to save the world was difficult from the very first step. Recalling his wallet that had thinned from just buying two horses, Ban worried about travel funds going forward. Should he buy some jerky to eat while traveling and roughly get by for meals?
His god seemed not to eat, so food expenses might decrease. But he still had to buy water to drink. How much would water cost? At this rate, money would run out before even arriving at Banan’s Sanctuary…….
“Ban.”
“……Yes.”
Though his answer was late due to various worries, Orma didn’t mind. Just asking as if truly curious while stroking his horse.
“These horses, can they withstand the sunlight? Even humans can’t endure it, they said. Didn’t you say that because it’s the disaster’s light, living things die if exposed for long periods?”
“Orma-nim.”
“What?”
“What am I supposed to do if you tell me that now?”
The answer that came back with a serious face and voice was absurd. ……Did you really not think about it?
“We already bought them…… Ah, so that’s why the merchant asked if we were really buying the horses. Should I go back now and ask if we can get a refund?”
“Would that work?”
Of course, even if he were the horse merchant, he would never give a refund. Ban felt like his heart was tearing apart. No, his wallet situation had already torn. Unlike his insides shedding bloody tears, with a face that revealed nothing on the surface, Ban reflected on his stupid mistake. Whether Orma looked at him like he was insane or not, very diligently.
He made a mistake. To forget that the means of transportation was a living creature. Since on Earth he rode in cars or traveled by plane, the blunder was naturally not thinking about what problems might arise. Moreover, thanks to the system, his body had gradually grown so that even when exposed to the disaster’s light, it was just hot and warm, not particularly affecting him, which also played a part in getting accustomed to it.
He didn’t look it, but this guy is quite an airhead too. Orma clicked his tongue at Ban, whose complexion gradually darkened, and said.
“Do we really have to save this damn world? Wouldn’t it be cleaner if everyone just died together and you killed me at the end? Hmm, that’s a nice thought. Everyone dying on the same day at the same time—isn’t that romantic and nice?”
“O Orma, stop talking bull…… no, nonsense.”
“What? This bastard was calling me god but now he’s going wild?”
Orma’s golden eyes narrowed in absurdity, and his eye corners rose sharply upward. Just that alone made his handsome impression turn fierce, but Ban didn’t care. Ban had neither the heart nor the wallet capacity to indulge his god’s irritation. After letting out a short sigh, having composed himself with that, Ban said while mounting his horse.
“There’s nothing else for it. Let’s go for now. If the horses die because of the disaster, then I’ll carry you on my back, Orma-nim.”
“……”
He seems to dislike being carried too. As if he’d even imagined it, Orma’s handsome face crumpled severely and his fists clenched. As the fierce gaze continued, Ban pretended not to see and carefully stroked his horse’s mane.
“Ha, annoyingly……”
That noble and holy thought and attitude of somehow protecting this world that’s bound to perish was irritating enough to make him want to vomit, but what irritated Orma was something else. It was a point he’d felt was strange from before—that bastard Ban treated himself just as lightly as Orma did. If they had to walk, they could just walk, so why carry me when I’m dying not to go? Who would even appreciate that hardship?
Even when he died several times by Orma, he was only surprised by the spear that suddenly appeared, but was carefree to a degree that was dimensionally different from the reactions of ordinary humans who complained of pain or showed fear. Whether it was because of that bizarre revival, Ban treated himself very lightly as something disposable. Even if it was his own life.
But why was that? Why, while treating not only others’ lives but even his own life lightly, was that so displeasing?
At the questions and frustration that kept arising in his head, Orma let out an irritated sigh. Then he lightly waved his hand, creating black ripples in the air. They immediately gently enveloped the horses, transforming the simple-looking brown country horses into sleek, proud-looking black horses. The horses showed no sign of surprise, only tilting their heads or whinnying softly, but Ban’s eyes widened in surprise.
“How did you do that?”
“……Think of it as a thin film that blocks sunlight.”
So he coated the horses with a thin film containing divine authority? While carefully stroking his horse, Ban thought about to what extent Orma’s power might be possible. Though he wouldn’t tell him if asked, with his power, it did seem like he could definitely save the world from destruction.
Moreover, wasn’t he cooperating better than expected? Compared to that despairing expression when they first met and his words asking to be killed, it was dazzling progress. How should he put it…… just that alone made Ban feel proud of Orma. Though he didn’t know if an apostle should regard his god this way.
“Stop being amazed and let’s depart.”
“Yes.”
What was this, but Ban answered spiritedly with a bright smile on his pretty face.
Hmm…… Orma somehow quite liked that expression and unconsciously etched it into his eyes. He felt a bit proud too.
