Chapter 9: My Egoistic Lily

“Fancy meeting you here.”

After hopping on the carriage en route to Berkut—another bustling city located to the northwest of Bilford—a familiar face greeted me with a closed-lip smile.

Sitting on the opposite direction was the albino guy from before.

“Indeed,” I answered out of surprise.

“Oh, pardon my rudeness. I forgot I haven’t introduced myself yet. Wein Cruz—just your part time adventurer.”

He closed the book he was holding and offered me a handshake.

Since I do not want to appear rude, I accepted his courtesy and replied with my name.

“Reimuz, just your blacksmith down the street. And this is my friend, Celes—”

Celes suddenly elbowed my ribs for some reason.

I tilted my head to look at her—she doesn’t look pleased.

“Ahahaha…”

This guy laughed all of a sudden, and Celes scowled at him for doing so.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. Anyways, you’re headed for Berkut, right?”

“We are. And you?”

“I’m headed for the mine settlement. Being an adventurer just doesn’t cut it these days. Except maybe if you’re in dangerous regions like the Demon continent, the jobs in the guild won’t yield enough profit to support your daily life.”

Wein explained with a sigh. His eyes traveled to the small window on his right and longingly stared outside. At the same time, the carriage started to move.

I remember Celes told me about this once. The other word for monsters in this world are “Avenirs.” Monsters don’t just sprout out of nowhere unlike in games.

It is known that spirits are a form of purified energies that somehow earns an existence through some method we do not know. And according to Celes, there are various ways to corrupt these energies. A decent example would be to burn a forest. It was basically a give and take in nature. This power can either be good nor bad depending on the user involve.

“I see, that’s a little disheartening,” I carefully picked my words to cheer him up. “What type of jobs does the adventurer’s guild offer?”

I expressed my curiosity in the matter. Perhaps if I didn’t stumble on my current job, I would be an adventurer by now.

“Fixing roofs, gathering herbs, some monster hunt every now and then—anything that you could think of. As long as the client is willing to pay, they can post the job in the guild.”

“So you’re basically like a handyman?”

“That’s one way of saying it.”

“Why not look for a different job then?”

“How I wish it’s that easy.”

He showed a face of despair and drooped his shoulders down.

Seems like there is no helping this gloomy guy.

“How so—”

“Just say that you’re lazy,” Celes suddenly butted in our conversation with a rude remark. “Don’t complain about your circumstances. There’s plenty of people out there who would gladly switch positions with you, so don’t take your life for granted.”

Celes whipped the guy with her tongue without any reservations at all.

However Wein merely sighed again. Although it seemed like his soul left his body with that last sigh.

But it’s not like it was a bad idea to occasionally spend a little time thinking about the things you take for granted. One day, everything might just disappear without you having a word about it.

Losing this life with Celes—I think that is what I fear the most.

“It’s quite unbefitting of a man your age to be running away from your problems. You can keep fooling yourself, but your troubles will still remain—unless you do something about it of course.”

Celes folded her legs, chin up.

There was but an ounce of mercy in her voice.

In front of this indomitable wall of ego, Wein was completely crushed, unable to retort even a single word. He was twitching to where he sat and his face drained of what little life he had going on.

Rest in peace Wein. Albeit short, it was nice knowing you.

“Celes, don’t you think you were a little harsh?”

“Hmph. To guys like him, there’s no need to hold back.”

“We don’t know anything about his circumstances though.”

“Even so…”

I hope she would at least look at me when I talk.

But I guess this is what makes Celes, Celes.

Thinking about her behavior made me smile wryly.

“I guess that’s the reason why you get mad at me sometimes, huh?” I asked.

“Hmm, I get mad at you for a different reason. And I think you know why already.”

As the shaking of the carriage continues, Celes silently leaned her head on my shoulder. I slid that arm around her and pressed her against my chest, my nose buried on her hair. And while I’m doing so, I remembered how soft her lips were.

Damn, I’d love to kiss her again. Maybe when we find the some time ourselves, I would want to continue to where we left off.

……She did say I should stop being indecisive.

“Celes, what do you think about kids? Just wondering…”

I don’t really know why those words left my mouth, but now that it was uttered, there’s no turning back. I highly anticipated her answer, so much that it turned cold despite the warm sensation that clung to me.

“Kids? I’m not very good with them. But I longed for the kind and quiet life… So having kids doesn’t sound too bad,” she murmured.

“Ah, that’s good to know.”

Feeling awkward, I scratched my cheek.

Her words took the last of me, and my mouth remained sealed all the way. It was good that she never inquired me about it, since I don’t know what type of nonsense I would reveal.

At first, life without any internet or games was tough. Very tough for me to adjust. But now I know what the older generation felt in their times. There’s just something about living peaceful life that is so endearing.

By the time we reached Berkut, a sublime afternoon sky greeted us.

It was more than a day of continuous jiggling and I sure am glad that it was over.

Since Berkut is part of the trade city alliance, a pass is not required to enter or exit. But as usual, that did not saved Celes from the unwanted prejudice of the guards. This time, however, she did not retort them and merely shrugged their words off as if they were thin air.

It somehow made me glad.

It means she’s maturing, little by little.

Or maybe she’s just being considerate of me?

Nonetheless, it was a good decision on her part.

After entering the city, I kissed this carriage goodbye.

Celes donned her robe over her clothes before stepping out of that small box after me.

For some reason, Wein remained lifeless inside.

I heard that if you keep going north from here, you’ll reach the mines in a few hours, so maybe that was the reason why?

And straight to the west, while following the line of water, is the nearest Port town. There is even a farm nearby, making me want to visit when I get the chance.

“Well then, these giant stone walls are similar to Bilford at least,” I said after eyeing the magnificent view around me.

But this one was built more like a fort. A body of water as thick as the bridge surrounded the walls outside. And upon entering, a multitude of shops were already perceived by my eyes.

“What do you plan to do?” Celes inquired. I forgot I hadn’t told her my purpose for being here.

“Let’s see… I’d rather get us an inn first and just visit the client tomorrow morning. It’s pretty late already and it’s a little rude to visit at this time of the day.”

I cupped the back of my neck as I gazed upward at the orange sky.

Sitting on that tight space for more than day really stiffened my neck.

“Lead the way then~”

Celes reached out for my hand and she slid her fingers with mine.

I felt a sense of comfort and I’m sure she felt the same.

With my free hand, I brought the map I got from the old man out and started walking.

Right in the eye of this city, to my right, was a wide staircase leading to this city’s barracks.

And unexpectedly, the biggest mansion in this city stood on the highest ground there.

“So, what do you need to do here? It’s about time you tell me,” Celes inquired after noticing my stare lingering at that particular area.

“Hmm, other than being my Master’s proxy, I have no idea. I’ll take a wild guess and say it has something to do with his love affairs.”

“So that’s why you’re so excited to leave, huh?”

Celes swiftly replied and I could feel her grip on my hand tightening, squeezing hard. She displayed an irritated expression, but I quickly broke it off by showing my most idiotic smile.

“That was a joke of course. There’s a spirit they want me to look at and for me to complete my training as a spirit blacksmith, Master required me to do this by myself.”

“And what is that?” Celes asked with an unusual curiosity.

“According to the old man, one of our main jobs as a spirit blacksmith is to instill a weapon with a spirit. For us to do that, we need to hunt for particular spirits and tame them. That’s precisely the reason why I have this hammer, or more particularly, this tiny gem attached at the end of its wooden handle.”

I pocketed the map and grab my hammer on my backside, and showed it to her.

“Taming?”

“Yes,” I nodded. “As in beating those wild spirits into submission.”

Celes inspected the clear stone for a few seconds, but quickly returned my hammer back. It didn’t seem like it kept her interest long enough or she already knew about these.

Either way, we pressed onward and found an inn. Something on the middle—that’s how I would describe this place. The slightly lively interior seemed to have doubled as a bar.

“W-Wait!”

After making sure the door behind me was shut tight, I carried Celes, princess style carry, and lay her down our bed. I crawled on top of her and immediately pressed my lips on her neck.

I reached out to her struggling hand and clasped her fingers with mine. Her face was burning and I could feel her heart pounding beneath me. The night was cold: her breath smoked as she panted.

I was tasting a mixture of sweat and perfume on her skin as I drove my mouth to the side. I flicked my tongue and tickled her shoulder bone.

“Reimuz... Shouldn’t I take a bath first? I’m sweaty.”

Her voice was crunching and her breathing was heavy.

Almost like she was seducing me even further.

“It’s fine?”

I stopped for a moment to gaze at her amber pupils. But that was all the time I could halt these desires of mine.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and nudge her cheek, her breath instantly quickening, its warmth scorching my cheek with every exhale.

My lips crawled against her own, firm and insistent as I deepened our kiss. I can feel her tongue moving inside my mouth, playing hide and seek.

Celes began to tremble. She pushed me slightly when our lips parted.

“Reimuz…”

Damn, damn, damn, damn…

I set a hand on her shoulder, my fingers pressing and squeezing. Celes tingled at the point of contact. She managed to stay calm so far, but she couldn’t hide the arousal written on her face.

“Alright, I’ll be asking for our dinner downstairs.”

Celes nodded in agreement. She was just so cute that I had to kiss her on the cheek for the last time.

I lifted myself off the bed and set our belongings on top of the table in our room.

“Just come down once you’re done,” I said.

“Mhm.”

Celes remained on the bed even after I left. Was it perhaps due to her bewilderment, or did I somehow overdid it? Nonetheless, tonight will finally be the night!

However, the moment I stepped downstairs, there was a figure over there that completely made my skin crawl. Flaming red hair, blood red eyes, and accompanied by a creepy smile from ear to ear—she called out to me.

“Hello, Mr. Apprentice~”

A few minutes later………

“Umm…”

“It’s fine, I’ll feed you…”

I occupied a table with this mysterious girl as I wait for Celes to come down.

For some reason, this girl wearing a short red dress with big puffy sleeves claimed that she knew me. She introduced herself as Cliona.

How is that even possible?

I came from a different world after all.

It’s impossible for someone to know me.

Because of her explosive cuteness, or rather, clinginess, I am now the center of attention in this bar. There was not that many people, but it was still annoying to be gawked upon.

“Cmon, say ahhh…”

She raised her fork with the dripping kentucky and coerced me into doing something embarrassing.

“Ahhh…”

Oh my God, stop. Just stop!

“How was it?”

“It’s great… Ahahaha…”

I’m terrible.

Honestly speaking, this chicken tasted weird. It wasn’t really similar to what I had in mind. Perhaps it was due to the lack of seasoning and sauce.

“Here, have some more…”

Ah, I want her frivolous behavior to end, but the smile on her face indicated that she enjoys feeding me—for whatever reasons—so I couldn’t really complain.

“Ahhh…?”

On that one particular bite, I heard someone cracked their knuckles behind me. It was the only chance I was given to explain.

“Nice dinner, Reimuz.”

Celes place her soft hands on my shoulders and started massaging me but, in the next instant, it felt like she’ll rip my collar bone apart.

There was so many things I wanted to say, but I don’t know where to start. And just when I was lost in my own thoughts, Celes sat down on a chair beside me.

“This is my fault. I knew this would’ve happened… I should’ve told you beforehand.”

Celes lowered her sight to her plate and began to munch grumpily.

“Wait, you mean you know her?” I asked, confusion swirled in my brain.

“I do. Since that day, she’s been following us all along. Although I’m still wondering why she only chose to appear to you now.”

I still didn’t understand what she meant, so I decided to ask another question.

“That day? What do you mean that day?”

“Idiot. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already? You violated her shrine remember?”

I shifted my gaze back to this mysterious girl. She smiled cheerfully—no, mischieviously—and waved her fingers as soon as our eyes met.

“Does that mean this girl is a……”

“Yes, and don’t say it out loud. It’s discourteous.”

It felt like my brains been electrified after hearing all that. However, this is a fantasy world. Surprises like this are nothing uncommon.

“So what is it that she wants from me?”

When I asked Celes that question, her fork snapped in half because of some unknown force.

“Why don’t you try asking her dummy? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”

I wasn’t so ignorant as to not know why she started acting like this. It was clearly my fault for being dumb again. The moment I decided to ask the source of all this distress, she opened her mouth already.

“You piqued my interest.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

Somehow, I feel disappointed, but that was not the point here.

“What is it that you plan to do exactly? Other than troubling us of course.”

Cliona suddenly inched closer and whispered seductively into my ears.

“A full moon would grace us soon. Before that fateful day arrives, I want us to rehearse our contract.”

I inched my chair closer to her too and whispered my reply in her ears.

“Contract? What do you mean contract?”

Cliona shivered, as if my voice tickled her.

Then she whispered something in my ears again.

“Yes, full moons are sacred to us spirits. It’s the only time that we could fully establish a contract.”

It was a bit embarrassing to be whispering like this in public, but for the sake of her secret, I forced myself to do it again.

“I’m still lost regarding this contract thingy. Why do you want to make a contract with me?”

Her face was so close to mine that I could almost feel her breath kneading my nostrils.

Damn, she smelled delicious as well.

Cliona laughed and rested a hand on my shoulder.

“Hehe, didn’t I tell you already? Because I want you, that’s all. And you have a weird ability to understand us spirits.”

My inner instincts were crying out loud after such a confession

Wait, didn’t I obtained that ability after drinking on her spring?

Gah, I’m confused.

And I shouldn’t be happy about this, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Hold on, does this mean you were here with us all along?”

Cliona nodded her head. “Yes.”

I swallowed. “Then what about my privacy?”

“You didn’t have any from the start.”

Everytime she spoke, my brain gets fried.

Do I even have a say in this matter?

“I’m done.”

“Huh? Celes, wait!”

Celes ignored my pleading with furrowed eyebrows. She stood up and walked upstairs without even paying attention to my dumbfounded reaction.

Oh damn.

I quickly dashed after her with the spirit tagging along. Just when I thought I would get lucky tonight too. That one chance has now turned to dust. The thought made my heart ache and my little guy, disappointed.

It doesn’t seem like Celes was willing to compromise. At a time like this, it’s better to just let a day go by and hope that she’s willing to talk on the next one.

I’ll just take a bath and go to sleep.

Celes POV

I woke snuggled to Reimuz’s bare chest. Although it was the first night we shared a bed together, I didn’t seem to mind him being this close. His presence emitted a warm feeling that made me feel safe.

“Mom… I’m sorry…”

Suddenly he murmured some words in his sleep. His heavy breathing echoed in my ears, like an unpleasant memory was bothering his once peaceful sleep. I reached to his shoulders, then his chest, and pulled his body closer to mine. I gently stroked his back, his head, caressing his face.

His back is broad, definitely the results of him working all the time. Reimuz had been pulling too many all nighters trying to do some work for us both. Comforting him like this was the least I could do. But what type of nightmare could be troubling him? I wanted to know. I listened to him murmur, to his cries, pain piercing through my chest.

I tightened my hug and kissed the back of his ear. I sang him a soft lullaby, easing him off from his dark and troubled sleep.