THHAAWMF

Side Story 5

"What happens when I cross the limit?"

"Curious?"

A hot breath escaped as if about to touch, his lips drew closer.

"Sincerely?"

"No, I'm not curious."

"Be curious for me."

"I want to sleep."

"Really?"

With just a sheet of paper's space between our lips, he whispered.

His captivating golden eyes held me spellbound, shining brilliantly. The citrus aroma and the warmth in proximity made my head spin. Undeterred, he persisted.

"Aren't you curious?"

In this dream-like reality, my heart raced. I knew his actions hinged on my response. Smiling softly, I let Reynos kiss me once more.

"I'll ask you one last time. Aren't you curious?"

I wanted to tease him more, but since it was the last one, I didn't want to disappoint him.

I answered in a whisper.

"I am curio- mmpp!"

The trailing words were swallowed by his lips.

He kissed me with newfound intensity, as if the earlier restraint had been momentarily abandoned.

Our breaths intertwined, our warmth blending together.

For a brief moment, I abandoned all thought and followed my instincts.

The night seemed unusually prolonged.

***

After several long and intense nights, the time had come to depart from the tower and return to the Empire.

Apple, who had been overshadowed by the elder wizards and denied the chance to converse with me, approached.

"Thanks to you, Duke, my magic is reaching new heights, and I sincerely appreciate it!"

An elated Apple detailed how the research on demons had significantly contributed to the advancement of magic.

Extracting from a soul dormant for over a thousand years yielded far more than I had anticipated.

"I assumed they were non-recyclable, like Tyriel and Duval."

To my surprise, they proved to be quite useful.

As I pondered this, a sudden pain in my lower back made me grimace.

Apple, who had been boasting about the progress, was taken aback.

"What's wrong?"

"I've been having trouble sleeping these past few days."

I shifted my gaze toward the culprit, seated in bed, looking at me with puppy-dog eyes. He flinched slightly.

Believing me, Apple appeared apologetic.

"Is it because of the bedding change? By the way, I recall there's a magical item good for insomnia somewhere in storage..."

He mentioned searching for it and hastily exited the room. After a while, he returned with a large box brimming with magical items.

"What's all this?"

My eyes widened at the overwhelming quantity. With just that one box, I could lead a comfortable life for a lifetime.

Setting the box down, Apple proudly introduced the contents.