*Seuseuseuk.*
Some kind of silhouette was moving outside the cave.
Round eyes looked up at Evernight. The man’s throat moved once greatly, clearly felt even in the darkness. Frightened brown eyes rolled and looked toward the entrance of the cave. Shadows whose number couldn’t be counted could be seen moving.
Like creepy breathing sounds, ‘sshit, sshiik’ sounds seemed to be heard faintly, and an attack of flesh-cutting cold energy seemed to be felt. The shadows slowly approached the cave.
Anya, seized by fear, looked up at Evernight desperately. He could see his hand—the hand covered in black threads again in just one day—going to the holster where the dagger hung.
The shadows stopped walking for a moment. An incomprehensible language passed between them. Then before long, they disappeared suddenly.
“…Did you use magic while I was away?”
Evernight lowered his head and asked Anya. Because everything around them was dark and dim, Evernight’s voice could be heard particularly clearly. Anya quietly nodded while his nose and mouth were still blocked by his large hand. He continued speaking with a small sigh.
“They couldn’t set foot in this place because of the magical energy. Now that they’ve noticed the abnormal sign, there’s a high possibility they’ll return here with a group the next day. We’ll have to move as soon as day breaks.”
Did those black shadows just converse like that? How could Evernight understand their words? Their language was difficult for humans of this era to understand, like Elven or ancient kingdom script.
“I wondered why you had such a face that couldn’t even get porridge… so you used magic power.”
When Evernight removed his hand, Anya exhaled all at once. Before he could even steady his insufficient breathing, he hurriedly made excuses to Evernight.
“When Riario-kyung uses de-detection magic, he might se-sense my ma-magic power and co-come find this pl-place.”
“That’s sufficiently reasonable.”
When praise came from his mouth, the young face noticeably brightened. It was a bright expression seen after a long while.
“However.”
In an instant, Anya’s eyebrows drooped down again.
“Look at yourself now. Use your magic power more carefully. If you collapse from magic depletion like last time, I’ll leave you here and go.”
“Yes. I’ll ke-keep that in mind. An incident li-like last time will ab-absolutely never ha-happen.”
Because the bonfire had gone out, cold rapidly rose over the gray earth. Confirming that Anya was trembling finely, Evernight lit a fire again with flint. Like the previous day, he sat leaning against the wall, and Anya sat as close to the bonfire as possible, warming his frozen body.
*’How long will we have to stay in this frozen, terrible land? Evernight-kyung’s symptoms are getting worse day by day….’*
Anya stole a glance at Evernight. The wound on the back of his hand placed on his knee folded on only one side began to spread again when night came.
“I won’t touch you today, so sleep at ease.”
“Ah… I was ju-just looking because I’m wo-worried about kyung, kyung’s condition.”
Evernight smiled crookedly.
“Worry about your own body, novice.”
I thought he’d become a little affectionate to me this morning… I guess it was my imagination after all.
* * *
Evernight couldn’t sleep all night. It was partly because of the night watch, but mostly because of that small living creature dozing off. Was it because they’d had relations once? The thirst he’d barely suppressed grew even larger and constantly tempted Evernight. He cut his forearm again with the dagger.
*’How much… longer must I endure.’*
While fighting battles for several years, there had been many fucking terrible things, but this was horrific enough to be the absolute worst. He strongly avoided having relations with anyone, and as such, self-loathing occasionally rushed over him at the fact that he couldn’t keep to that now and that the other party was royalty.
The wound grew worse as time passed, and now one entire shoulder was stiffening rigidly in the cold. Evernight reproached his weak willpower.
[We know what you desire.]
[Realize what you want.]
[No one is watching here, so no one will criticize you.]
[Why do you try to live maintaining your pride, Andalr? That’s all just a useless illusion!]
Again, desperate voices from the darkness began to torment him. Evernight knew he wouldn’t die, but he thought it would be better if he just died. Dying miserably on this land beyond the wall seemed like the fitting end for him.
“…E…… t-kyung.”
Evernight felt someone supporting his head that kept tilting to the side. Beyond his dim vision, a familiar silhouette could be seen.
“Your body, your body is too… ho-hot.”
The distinctive scent of pungent leaves came, and between them, an unbearable sweet scent emanated.
“…Get away. You still haven’t come to your senses after going through that yesterday?”
Evernight pushed Anya away. He shook his head vigorously repeatedly to regain his confused consciousness.
“Do-don’t be stubborn!”
Anya shouted. It was the first time his partner had raised his voice. Evernight’s brow narrowed.
“If kyung, kyung dies, the people of Tildyen… th-they’ll die too!”
Saying so, Anya stubbornly plastered herbs all over the back of Evernight’s hand. Along with it, a warm blue energy was also felt. His churning insides seemed to get a little better.
“I can do an-anything for kyung’s sake. Don’t he-hesitate and use me… use me… you can do it ag-again.”
Then he knelt down and looked up at him reverently. Evernight’s pupils turned red for a moment. When he let out a small groan and turned his head, Anya gritted his teeth, then carefully raised his body and kissed him.
“I, last night was go-good. It, it didn’t hurt.”
Really.
Evernight’s purple pupils widened slightly.
“You’re he-hesitating because I’m ro-royalty, right? To su-survive, what ca-can’t I do? Kyung is… the ho-hope of the Tildyen pe-people. So-somehow just fo-focus on es-escaping from here.”
An unbearable sweet scent wafted from Anya. His small partner’s plump lips constantly comforted Evernight’s self-loathing and anguish. Every time the boy kissed him clumsily, his head that was noisy with the monsters’ voices became quiet as a mouse.
“I’ll re-relieve you this ti-time like you di-did yesterday.”
Anya bent his knees and carefully reached his hand toward Evernight’s lower abdomen. His fingertips were trembling finely. The boy found the huge thing that was exposed a bit overwhelming, but opened his mouth as wide as possible and took it in.
“I’m going… crazy.”
Evernight muttered while roughly running his hand through his hair. He looked down at the crown of the head working hard with a small mouth below him. At the slurping, squelching sounds, unbearable impatience automatically rushed over him.
*’Would it have been better to just kill him?’*
Evernight thought while looking down at the small head that could fit in one hand and still have room left. Originally sexual desire and murderous desire had the same root, but murderous desire that annihilated humanity had greater destructive power and satisfaction. Evernight’s hand roughly rummaged through Anya’s brown hair. He barely endured after almost gripping tightly the round, warm head that came into his hand.
Whether the thin liquid gradually seeping out got caught in his throat, Anya momentarily pulled away his mouth and coughed.
“I’m so-sorry.”
The reddened eyes looked up at Evernight. He tucked Anya’s hair that had fallen down behind his ear with a deepened gaze.
*’This time is the last… next time I’ll kill him.’*
Evernight grabbed Anya’s collar and lifted him to sit on top of his center. With a somewhat urgent, roughened touch, he took off Anya’s clothes and said in a murky voice.
“Let’s pray… that Riario finds us quickly. Novice.”
Because that will be the only way for you to survive.
* * *
For two days in a row, Anya opened his eyes in the man’s arms. It was quite awkward, but it wasn’t the worst he’d imagined. However, due to the rough intercourse that had occurred two days in a row, Anya couldn’t quite get up. An uncomfortable foreign sensation was felt from behind, but he didn’t dare touch his sore backside. It was obviously a mess.
He was at a loss as to how to clean up. His stomach seemed to hurt a little.
“…Don’t move and sleep more. We’ll have to move to another place soon.”
Evernight said quietly with his eyes closed.
“Did you sl-sleep well?”
Soon Anya witnessed blue eyes. The pupils that had been full of heat all night had cooled down much more coldly. The area under his eyes was a bit dark.
“You di-didn’t sleep?”
“Because someone has to keep watch.”
“Th-then tonight I’ll ke-keep watch.”
Anya hastily added.
