Chapter 10.2 Hero, Once Again (6)
-Knock! Knock!
Knocking sounded on the door.
-Come in.
With the permission to enter, the door opened and Katie entered through the door. Cloud who was sitting on the bed, disarming himself, looked at her.
“Mr. Cloud, we couldn't prepare anything special… but we did your best, here's your meal.”
Katie's tray was topped with bread, soup, and broiled chicken. As she said, there was nothing extraordinarily special, but it was the best that a poor village could have prepared by all their heart.
"Thank you. It looks delicious.”
Cloud accepted the tray.
To be honest, it didn't look like it would be delicious, but sincerity has to be accepted. He took a spoonful of soup and brought to his mouth.
‘…I miss Lina’s skewers.’
It's been so long since he had one, to point of desperately missing her already.
Cloud grumbled inwardly and started eating.
Katie looked at Cloud like that quietly, then suddenly she opened her heavy lips.
"Mr. Adventurer… Thank you for saving us…"
Gratitude was interrupted by the weeping that wetted her throat. Even until now, she couldn't undertake the fact that she was back home, to live a brand new life. Meeting Cloud again and thanking him personally made her believe the present reality.
But, humans are innately insatiable.
It's a person who you rescue from drowning, they will ask you to fetch a bundle that was washed away too.
“Why… why… I…”
There was a young girl who was caught today.
She hoped for salvation, and then she was saved. What happened to her tonight will be a happy memory she will never forget for the rest of her life.
When she gets married and gives birth to her children, she can tell her tales with a gratifying smile to her children of her own salvation.
That's good thing.
That's indeed a good thing…
But….
Why only that girl?
Why is she the only girl that can be saved?
What about me?
She was much more desperate and miserable than that girl. Even though she couldn't eat or sleep, she prayed all the time, so… why didn't she get saved?
“A little earlier…”
Katie, who had said that far, covered her mouth in surprise. Unable to look at Cloud, she hurriedly shook her head.
“Oh, no, no. What the heck was I even trying to say…”
What the hell did she just say that?
Asking him to have arrived earlier? To save her?
Isn't that foolishly unreasonable?
This man has neither has any obligation nor any responsibility to save her. It was in good faith that she received this favour—to be saved. How can she become so greed and selfish, huh?
“I… I just wanted to say thank you. Sorry for the weird mumblings. I will be going, bye–!”
She rushed to get out of the house. She was so ashamed of herself that she could not bear to stand here. Just then—Cloud grabbed her wrist.
He grabbed her and pulled her—holding her into his arms.
"H, Huh? Mr. Cloud..?”
Kate mumbled in panic.
Cloud gently stroked her hair like that and spoke in a gentle tone.
“It was very difficult, wasn’t it?”
“….”
"I am so sorry that I was late. I couldn't save you any sooner because of my lack of abilities.”
“Oh, no, no. There is nothing, Mr. Adventurer didn't… wrong. This is… so… just…”
His embrace was so warm that she accepted it with mere absurdity. The warmth she hadn't felt in a long time melted Katie's sad feelings.
With tears in her eyes, she talked about the hardships she had gone through.
Her weeping voice mixed with her light murmurs made it hard to comprehend her words.
But Cloud seemed to understand, and he comforted her by stroking her head.
The time passed like that.
Eventually, Katie stopped crying. Even so, she was still in Cloud's arms.
His arms were so warm that she didn't want to let go.
After licking her lips a few times, she whispered to Cloud.
“Mr. Cloud…”
“Why is it, Katie?”
"It's… It's… If it's okay with Mr. Cloud… May I sleep here tonight…?"
Finishing her words, Katie hurriedly clinched her eyes. Because she didn't have the confidence to see Cloud's reaction.
After a moment of silence, Cloud spoke in the same gentle tone as before.
“Katie, even with all that what happened, cherish yourself a little more. You deserve it.”
His words were tender-sweet and caring to her.
But Katie knew. That it was a gentleman's way of refusal.
"Is that so…"
"Yes. One day, when you will meet someone who cherishes you, give that person what you cherish.”
"I will. But… is it okay for me, to be like this for a while longer?”
“If it’s a beauty like Katie, it's everytime welcome.”
Liar.
Katie smiled and rested her head a little more comfortably on Cloud's shoulder.
* * *
“So, did you two…?”
One of the women who was sharing the living quarters with Katie asked. After leaving the house where Cloud was staying, she was soon dragged by them.
“What did?”
"Huh? What, weren't you two sharing a good vibe?"
“…Did you peek?”
At Katie's bloody expression, the startled woman quickly fluttered her hand.
“Only until Mr. Adventurer was comforting the crying you on his shoulders! I didn't see anything after that!"
“You sneak peeker!”
Katie rushed at the lady. The other woman giggled while the two of them engaged in a mock fistfight.
“I can't believe you didn't… That's too bad”
“What so?”
“If you said you did, I was going to visit him the next day.”
“Wait, what..?”
“Why? Mr. Cloud is so handsome! He's not only so kind and gentle but is also a man of ability! As soon as I drop by, once I show my skills…”
"Ha! Like you can satisfy anyone with your poor skills? It should be about the size of my waist…”
“Hey, you crazy b*tches, don't let me get you!”
Katie ran towards the women turning their backs in mid-air.
It seemed that she had to fold the waists of these twitchy prats tonight.
* * *
“Ah, I want to have sex.”
After Katie left, I muttered to myself, all alone inside an empty room.
I am not a monk or a saint.
In other words, a man who is strong enough to build a sturdy tent out of his pants every morning.
To be honest, when Katie invited me to sleep earlier, I was, welp, honestly tempted.
A night with a pretty village maiden saved back to the village.
This is the dream of a budding hero!
In the past, I couldn't, because I was conscious of my colleagues, but now I'm alone—without any colleagues!
It doesn't matter if I spend one or even two nights with a girl who consently likes me! There's nothing wrong with that.
But I couldn't.
Why?
What other than that shithousery?! It's because of this fucking bullshit setting!
Did Katie know?
That my little lord got an erection when her breasts touched my body?
She most probably didn't.
Why?
Because even if I had an erection, there was no damn sign!
My pants were damn flat!
That's why Katie must have given up quickly and left. What if she saw a tent pitched on my pants? Temptation would have followed.
“Oh, bollocks.”
What's the point of being handsome?
When the real goods are cursed?
I think, even if I fell for the mood earlier and ended up with Katie, the moment she caught this d!ck, she would have ended up laughing without realizing it, and the atmosphere would have been totally ruined.
After a while, the rumors may spread.
That—
—Cloud is a lil' green chilli.
“Damn it… I need a big tower… a big one…”
Something like a legendary medicine that can make any little manliness grow into a full fledged 18cm just by consuming it!
It does not exist in ‘The Hero's Party'—but it appears in its sequel, ‘The Tale Of A Knight's Affair'.
And since the two games share the same worldview, it must exist on this continent as well.
“Level up… Farming… Big tower…”
Plan. Establishment. Completion.
Just wait my 18cm.
This brother's coming!
