HH Chapter 44

‘Boring.’

The temperature under the stairs was different from where he was. Haylan quickly lost interest.

Should he just leave him be…?

He placed his hand on the floor to stand up. At that moment, Chahyun’s eyelids fluttered open, and their eyes met as Chahyun turned his head. Even in the darkness, he could see the glistening, wet eyes fixed on him.

In that instant, he felt the air shift around Chahyun. Things he couldn’t see before became visible. Wet fabric, a round glans, firm flesh. And then, a thin stream of semen spurted from the tip of the rounded glans. Chahyun’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at the peak of his climax before he exhaled sharply through parted lips.

The dazed look in his eyes wavered slightly, and Chahyun’s face flushed crimson as he quickly turned his head away.

“……?”

Haylan saw a lake reflected in those eyes. A pitch-black, moonless lake in the dead of night. Something was thrown into the still water, and ripples spread gently across its surface. He saw his own face reflected in the center of that night lake.

Haylan felt something strange, but the feeling was so fleeting that he missed what it was.

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

It must have snowed all night. Since there weren’t any windows in this house, I only realized it in the morning.

Mr. Luke came in through the wide-open front door, carrying a snow shovel. Grumbling about the snow already accumulating, he propped the shovel against the entrance and brushed the snow off his shoes. 

Yur, seeing this, snapped at him to brush his shoes off outside.

“By the way, did the guest stay up all night again?”

At her words, everyone looked at me at once. Yur nodded. 

How did she know? What did I look like…? 

I laughed awkwardly and muttered, “It just happened.”

Yur asked, “Is the bed too small? There are spare rooms. Should I open a few more for you?”

“Well, the young master slept there with him last night, so…”

“Must have been an uncomfortable sleep.”

I came to my senses to find the servants suddenly talking about moving me to a different room. What were they talking about? Then what about my safe zone? Other rooms are out of the question! I waved my hands and said,

“I’m grateful for what I have! It’s fine. I’m not here for leisure, I’m here to work.”

“You were a mercenary, right?”

Yur asked. The way she looked at me was quite different from before. It wasn’t just Yur; most of the people in this mansion were the same. I could feel the wariness in their eyes disappear.

“Yes, sleeping outside is the norm, and if I have a tent, I consider myself lucky. I never even hoped for a bed.”

“Do you often deal with monster-related work?”

Probably. While the proportion of odd jobs had increased since I joined, the Red Lion Mercenary Group primarily focused on monster subjugation. I was even called in for large operations three or four times a year.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“We get separate hazard pay. Because people die during operations.”

The servants nearby, seeing us gathered, approached and joined the conversation. 

They asked me various questions about mercenary work. It seemed they were curious about monster subjugation because I seemed to have taken down an A-rank monster too easily. I told them that I was able to manage because it was just one monster the other day, and if they had appeared in a group, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.

‘Actually, even then, it was a bit of a stretch.’

That’s right… I’m a weakling who can’t even properly handle a single isolated, exhausted monster…

“Guest.”

The head butler appeared, calling me, and the gathered servants scattered. He glanced at them as they pretended to be busy and said to me,

“You don’t look well. There’s no need to respond to everything they say.”

This was the second time I was told this today. What was wrong with my face? I raised my hand and touched my cheek.

“I heard healing magic consumes a lot of mana. Heinz has prepared a nourishing meal that’s good for replenishing mana.”

“Wow, really?”

For me? I should thank him personally. The chef in this house was skilled. My appetite already piqued, I told him I’d bring Haylan down and started climbing up the stairs.

“…….”

Arriving on the second floor and facing the door to the library, I paused. The memories of last night, which had become somewhat hazy from dealing with people, suddenly became vivid.

I spent the night in the library, dazed. Did I care whether a murderous ghost was roaming the hallway or if Haylan was looking for me? I didn’t even have time for such concerns.

‘I was out of my mind!’

I must have been possessed, my mind addled by the fever. No matter how aroused I was, to do that in front of Lena… Even though I had used a cleansing spell, I felt so dirty that I wanted to change my clothes.

As morning came, the system informed me that the toxins in my body had been completely purged. I returned to my room in that state, but Haylan wasn’t there, and the blanket was also missing.

I didn’t want to admit that I had relieved myself while thinking of Lena.

‘So, who were you thinking about while you were doing it?’

The night air was as cold as a blizzard, and in that space filled with the mingled scent of dust and paper, I closed my eyes and naturally thought of Lena.

It definitely wasn’t because I liked him or had any feelings for him. I perceived Lena more as a function than a person. But the reason why I had dragged him into my lewd thoughts was…

‘Why does he have to look like that when he’s a guy?’

It was because Lena was the most beautiful person I knew. He wasn’t my ideal type, but more like a standard of beauty. Objectively, his face was close to flawless. A straight nose bridge, long eyelashes, and pale, bloodless skin. Among all of that, I found his eyes the most beautiful. His purple irises, with their mystical hue, were cold and brilliant, unlike those of a human.

I wished I had read as many erotic novels as someone I knew, so I’d have something to imagine when I closed my eyes, but I’m a new nation’s adult leading a perfectly wholesome life. Having no exposure to erotic material recently, I naturally ended up imagining Lena, who was nearby…

And then I opened my eyes, and why did it feel so stimulating to see that beautiful face right in front of me? At that moment, as if captivated by his gaze, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Lena.

‘I can’t look him in the face for a while. I feel like biting my tongue off.’

I’m human garbage with zero self-control, the type who would get addicted to drugs within a day of starting them.

‘But can I even avoid him if I try…’

I shook my head as if to dispel my thoughts and knocked on the door. I heard a sound from inside, and the door opened soon after. Haylan looked up at me with a sullen face. The first words he uttered upon seeing me were, “It’s cold.”

“It snowed. It’s the first snow of the year.”

“I had no idea.”

Of course you wouldn’t know. Haylan’s room also didn’t have any windows. I could see a blanket lying on the floor beyond the slightly open door.

‘…That looks like mine?’

As if displeased by me peeking inside, Haylan glanced at me and closed the door firmly.

“You can have it back later.”

‘So Lena didn’t steal it.’

Should I consider this fortunate? I’ll have to get the blanket back later.

I came out to play in the snow. Thanks to the winter gear the mercenaries sent, I wasn’t that cold. And thanks to Mr. Luke, who had cleared the snow from the path early in the morning, we could walk comfortably along the already made path.

“He’s so excited, like a puppy.”

“He’s not even fully recovered, he’ll fall if he’s like that… uh oh.”

“He fell…”

“I knew he’d get scolded by the young master.”

It’s snowing!

Oblivious to their words, I was too busy jumping around and enjoying the snow.

I haven’t seen snow that many times in my life. 

My hometown had a warm climate, so even when it snowed elsewhere, it only rained where I lived. Asileth, where the mercenary group was located, was also in the southern part of the empire, so it rarely snowed. This was the first time I had seen so much snow piled up.

This is fun!

“Whoa!”

Splash. I was so fascinated by the soft, crunching sound that I slipped and fell on my butt while running around on the fresh snow.

“Why are you walking only where there’s snow when I’ve cleared the path? Get up.”

Haylan held out his small hand to me. 

Did he even have the strength to pull me up? I looked at his hand, and a sudden playful impulse struck me. I grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled him down.

“Oops. I accidentally used too much strength.”

“Hey!”

Haylan yelled, seemingly realizing I did it on purpose from my textbook-like tone.

Chuckling, I effortlessly lifted Haylan, who had fallen on top of me, and tossed him aside. He sat up abruptly, buried in the snow, and shook the snow off his head. 

He looked like a fussy cat, so I reached out and ruffled his hair playfully. His brown hair became a mess.