At twenty-six years old, the two glared at each other as they uttered words that even six-year-olds wouldn't say. It was Erna who spoke again.
"More importantly, why did you come looking for me? I even went out of my way to clear my bed because I thought you should get a better night's sleep. If you called me just to argue about that, I'll be going now."
Having argued enough, Callion's anger must have subsided a little. Furthermore, after the Haldis region was restored, some of the knights and mages staying at the mansion moved to quarters within Haldis to facilitate smoother recovery operations.
In the meantime, many people had finished their treatment, leaving empty rooms in the mansion, and there was a spare bed in Orpheus's room as well. If she said she would sleep in another room for Callion's restful sleep, they would avoid arousing suspicion from the people here.
"It is not for that reason."
"Then why?"
“...Didn’t I promise?”
"What?"
"A promise?" Erna tried to think if she and Callion had made any promises, but nothing came to mind. As Erna looked at him as if she had no idea, Callion hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Today is the sixth day."
“What does that matter... You aren't planning to, are you?!”
Erna, who was about to snap back, asking what difference it made whether it was the sixth or seventh day of the week, remembered the very first promise the two had made: that they would make an effort to have an heir on the sixth day.
“No, look, you probably aren’t feeling well right now, so is it really necessary to go out of your way to go all the way here?”
Her voice cracked as she asked back, as it was something she hadn't even considered. She really hadn't thought about it at all. Just a few days ago, her mind was filled with using magic and fighting monsters. After that, she was disoriented because Callion had collapsed. But to think that the first thing he said upon waking up was something like this?
“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. No, actually...”
Having said that much, Callion ran his hands over his face and swallowed his words. Then he spoke again.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about my body.”
At his words, Erna looked at him with a suspicious expression. Callion was urging her on as if he would be in trouble if he didn't do it immediately. This couldn't be right. He certainly hadn't been keen on it at the Grand Duke's castle either. Moreover, given the atmosphere in this situation, where neither side would have bothered to do it, she couldn't understand why he was making the demand first.
"So, I hope you keep your promise."
“...”
Erna realized that she had no grounds to refuse Callion's demand. She had no intention of evading her duty. It was simply that she could not understand why he insisted on doing it even here. Realizing that arguing further was pointless, Erna rose from her seat.
"Yes. I'll just go wash up, so please wait."
Seeing Callion, who was giving off a strong scent of soap with wet hair even though he had washed in the morning, she felt like she should wash up too.
As Erna entered the bathroom with a look of complete resignation, Callion quickly stood up, opened the door, and twisted the lion head-shaped ornament attached to the outside to the side. This was a sign from Hessengard that the person inside the room wanted to rest comfortably, so no one should knock or enter.
After twisting the decoration, he immediately closed the door and locked it firmly. Then, he casually tossed the hanging key onto the sofa.
It's like the poison of a damned monster.
He sat on the edge of the bed and looked down between his throbbing legs.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing Callion felt was neither thirst nor hunger. He felt another desire just as desperate.
I want to hug you.
He was dumbfounded by his embarrassingly strong sexual urge. Then, he opened his eyes and saw Erna. He wondered if it was another dream, but he remained still, determined to be careful even if it were. However, seeing her stare intently between his legs, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sensation. That feeling immediately led to a physical reaction. He expected Erna to recoil in horror, but far from averting her eyes, she stared at his private parts even more intently. She even brought her face closer.
He instinctively felt that something bad would happen to him if things continued like this, so he called out to Erna, and as soon as their eyes met, she screamed and ran out.
Left alone in the room, Callion quickly pulled the blanket over himself to cover his lower body. His body felt numb all over, perhaps from lying there for so long. As he tried to retrace his steps to remember what had happened, he realized that he had no memory of anything since being bitten by the monsters.
A short while later, the door to the room opened, and the therapists came in.
“Grand Duke! You are awake!”
Breathing a sigh of relief, they checked his body to see if there was anything wrong and told him how many days had passed since he collapsed and what had happened.
"Is there anything you need?"
Callion turned his head at the healers' questions. He saw Erna, who had returned before he knew it, watching him from the corner of the room.
Gulp. He swallowed dryly without realizing it. However, Callion desperately composed himself and decided to satisfy his other desires first.
Food was laid out on the table in an instant, and contrary to the therapists' concerns, he chewed and swallowed everything in sight. Unlike his hope that filling his empty stomach might make him feel better, the single remaining desire now drove him even more strongly.
That's strange.
Callion was fully aware of the abnormality in his body. In the meantime, the maids of the mansion entered the room to clear away the dishes he had finished eating from. Callion looked at them for a moment. Feeling his gaze, the maids blushed and looked back at him, but only after realizing that Callion's look was cold did they quickly leave the room.
"In that case, it seems there will be no further issues, so I suggest you rest here for just one more day tomorrow before returning to the Grand Duke's Castle. Since it is a beautiful place originally intended as a resort town, please take your time and relax."
"I have something I'd like to ask you for a moment."
“Please speak.”
Callion took the elderly man he trusted most among the healers to a corner and asked in a low voice.
"Does the monster's poison have any aftereffects?"
“What are you talking about?”
"I'm asking if it's possible to experience physical problems even after receiving healing magic."
"Of course. There are almost no permanent aftereffects, but there are quite a few temporary symptoms. In any case, since something from another world entered and left the body, how could the body possibly be completely fine?"
“What are the symptoms?”
“Why are you acting like this? Do you feel something is off?”
"No, I don't think it's anything serious... I just wanted to keep it in mind if symptoms appear later."
It was a hastily made-up excuse, but even he thought it sounded plausible. The healer, as if understanding, also explained all the aftereffects he knew of.
"Loss of appetite, temporary decline in vision or hearing, low mood, sudden changes in emotions..."
The healer continued speaking.
“...There are signs such as hyperventilation and increased blood pressure, although they do not manifest well.”
He looked at Erna sitting on the sofa, cleared his throat with a slightly embarrassed expression, then approached Callion and whispered in a low voice.
"There is an increase in sexual desire, etc."
Just as expected. Callion felt as though he had finally found the answer. No wonder something felt off. It was indeed due to the monster's poison. Otherwise, there was no way he would have looked for Erna the moment he opened his eyes.
The healers, having finished their work, left the room, telling him to get some good rest. Callion was about to approach Erna immediately when he caught a bad smell.
'Shit.'
He hadn't paid attention because he was so busy eating, but now that the hunger had worn off and his senses had returned to normal, he felt a sticky grime on his body. Come to think of it, having been lying down and sweating for over three days, it was no wonder he wasn't feeling well. Even though she had wiped him with a towel in the meantime, the stickiness of the sweat remained.
Callion spoke to Erna, who was watching his reaction.
“Don’t go anywhere, wait for me.”
And he went straight into the bathroom and washed himself like crazy. As he washed, he counted the days. And he realized an important fact. While he had collapsed, time had passed, and it was now the sixth day of the week.
“That’s good.”
He hurriedly wiped the water off his body and muttered. Today was the day he could hold Erna.
I think I can do it today.
Until now, he couldn't do it properly because even being in his right mind felt embarrassing and awkward. But now, it seemed he could quickly fulfill his duty.
However, what awaited him as he hurriedly ran out of the bathroom was an empty room.
Callion immediately ran out of the room.
“Grand Duke!”
"I heard you woke up. Are you alright?"
As he stepped out into the hallway, the knights who had remained in the mansion rushed over to speak to him. Normally, he would have apologized for causing worry and for showing such an embarrassing side, and then chatted about what had happened. However, only one thought remained in his mind.
"Where is Erna?"
“Grand Duke?”
Seeing Callion staring down the hallway without any particular reaction to their words, the knights called out to him. Callion barely managed to regain his composure and answered.
"Did you see Erna?"
"Yes?"
“Do you know where Erna is?”
At Callion's words, the knights looked at each other for a moment. They were knights who had been with Callion for quite a long time. For that reason, they were also people who knew his manner of speaking well.
Since coming to Hessengard, he had never once called Erna by her name alone. But now, he was looking for her, calling her Erna naturally as if he had been doing so for a very long time.
"More importantly, why did you come looking for me? I even went out of my way to clear my bed because I thought you should get a better night's sleep. If you called me just to argue about that, I'll be going now."
Having argued enough, Callion's anger must have subsided a little. Furthermore, after the Haldis region was restored, some of the knights and mages staying at the mansion moved to quarters within Haldis to facilitate smoother recovery operations.
In the meantime, many people had finished their treatment, leaving empty rooms in the mansion, and there was a spare bed in Orpheus's room as well. If she said she would sleep in another room for Callion's restful sleep, they would avoid arousing suspicion from the people here.
"It is not for that reason."
"Then why?"
“...Didn’t I promise?”
"What?"
"A promise?" Erna tried to think if she and Callion had made any promises, but nothing came to mind. As Erna looked at him as if she had no idea, Callion hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Today is the sixth day."
“What does that matter... You aren't planning to, are you?!”
Erna, who was about to snap back, asking what difference it made whether it was the sixth or seventh day of the week, remembered the very first promise the two had made: that they would make an effort to have an heir on the sixth day.
“No, look, you probably aren’t feeling well right now, so is it really necessary to go out of your way to go all the way here?”
Her voice cracked as she asked back, as it was something she hadn't even considered. She really hadn't thought about it at all. Just a few days ago, her mind was filled with using magic and fighting monsters. After that, she was disoriented because Callion had collapsed. But to think that the first thing he said upon waking up was something like this?
“I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. No, actually...”
Having said that much, Callion ran his hands over his face and swallowed his words. Then he spoke again.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry about my body.”
At his words, Erna looked at him with a suspicious expression. Callion was urging her on as if he would be in trouble if he didn't do it immediately. This couldn't be right. He certainly hadn't been keen on it at the Grand Duke's castle either. Moreover, given the atmosphere in this situation, where neither side would have bothered to do it, she couldn't understand why he was making the demand first.
"So, I hope you keep your promise."
“...”
Erna realized that she had no grounds to refuse Callion's demand. She had no intention of evading her duty. It was simply that she could not understand why he insisted on doing it even here. Realizing that arguing further was pointless, Erna rose from her seat.
"Yes. I'll just go wash up, so please wait."
Seeing Callion, who was giving off a strong scent of soap with wet hair even though he had washed in the morning, she felt like she should wash up too.
As Erna entered the bathroom with a look of complete resignation, Callion quickly stood up, opened the door, and twisted the lion head-shaped ornament attached to the outside to the side. This was a sign from Hessengard that the person inside the room wanted to rest comfortably, so no one should knock or enter.
After twisting the decoration, he immediately closed the door and locked it firmly. Then, he casually tossed the hanging key onto the sofa.
It's like the poison of a damned monster.
He sat on the edge of the bed and looked down between his throbbing legs.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing Callion felt was neither thirst nor hunger. He felt another desire just as desperate.
I want to hug you.
He was dumbfounded by his embarrassingly strong sexual urge. Then, he opened his eyes and saw Erna. He wondered if it was another dream, but he remained still, determined to be careful even if it were. However, seeing her stare intently between his legs, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sensation. That feeling immediately led to a physical reaction. He expected Erna to recoil in horror, but far from averting her eyes, she stared at his private parts even more intently. She even brought her face closer.
He instinctively felt that something bad would happen to him if things continued like this, so he called out to Erna, and as soon as their eyes met, she screamed and ran out.
Left alone in the room, Callion quickly pulled the blanket over himself to cover his lower body. His body felt numb all over, perhaps from lying there for so long. As he tried to retrace his steps to remember what had happened, he realized that he had no memory of anything since being bitten by the monsters.
A short while later, the door to the room opened, and the therapists came in.
“Grand Duke! You are awake!”
Breathing a sigh of relief, they checked his body to see if there was anything wrong and told him how many days had passed since he collapsed and what had happened.
"Is there anything you need?"
Callion turned his head at the healers' questions. He saw Erna, who had returned before he knew it, watching him from the corner of the room.
Gulp. He swallowed dryly without realizing it. However, Callion desperately composed himself and decided to satisfy his other desires first.
Food was laid out on the table in an instant, and contrary to the therapists' concerns, he chewed and swallowed everything in sight. Unlike his hope that filling his empty stomach might make him feel better, the single remaining desire now drove him even more strongly.
That's strange.
Callion was fully aware of the abnormality in his body. In the meantime, the maids of the mansion entered the room to clear away the dishes he had finished eating from. Callion looked at them for a moment. Feeling his gaze, the maids blushed and looked back at him, but only after realizing that Callion's look was cold did they quickly leave the room.
"In that case, it seems there will be no further issues, so I suggest you rest here for just one more day tomorrow before returning to the Grand Duke's Castle. Since it is a beautiful place originally intended as a resort town, please take your time and relax."
"I have something I'd like to ask you for a moment."
“Please speak.”
Callion took the elderly man he trusted most among the healers to a corner and asked in a low voice.
"Does the monster's poison have any aftereffects?"
“What are you talking about?”
"I'm asking if it's possible to experience physical problems even after receiving healing magic."
"Of course. There are almost no permanent aftereffects, but there are quite a few temporary symptoms. In any case, since something from another world entered and left the body, how could the body possibly be completely fine?"
“What are the symptoms?”
“Why are you acting like this? Do you feel something is off?”
"No, I don't think it's anything serious... I just wanted to keep it in mind if symptoms appear later."
It was a hastily made-up excuse, but even he thought it sounded plausible. The healer, as if understanding, also explained all the aftereffects he knew of.
"Loss of appetite, temporary decline in vision or hearing, low mood, sudden changes in emotions..."
The healer continued speaking.
“...There are signs such as hyperventilation and increased blood pressure, although they do not manifest well.”
He looked at Erna sitting on the sofa, cleared his throat with a slightly embarrassed expression, then approached Callion and whispered in a low voice.
"There is an increase in sexual desire, etc."
Just as expected. Callion felt as though he had finally found the answer. No wonder something felt off. It was indeed due to the monster's poison. Otherwise, there was no way he would have looked for Erna the moment he opened his eyes.
The healers, having finished their work, left the room, telling him to get some good rest. Callion was about to approach Erna immediately when he caught a bad smell.
'Shit.'
He hadn't paid attention because he was so busy eating, but now that the hunger had worn off and his senses had returned to normal, he felt a sticky grime on his body. Come to think of it, having been lying down and sweating for over three days, it was no wonder he wasn't feeling well. Even though she had wiped him with a towel in the meantime, the stickiness of the sweat remained.
Callion spoke to Erna, who was watching his reaction.
“Don’t go anywhere, wait for me.”
And he went straight into the bathroom and washed himself like crazy. As he washed, he counted the days. And he realized an important fact. While he had collapsed, time had passed, and it was now the sixth day of the week.
“That’s good.”
He hurriedly wiped the water off his body and muttered. Today was the day he could hold Erna.
I think I can do it today.
Until now, he couldn't do it properly because even being in his right mind felt embarrassing and awkward. But now, it seemed he could quickly fulfill his duty.
However, what awaited him as he hurriedly ran out of the bathroom was an empty room.
Callion immediately ran out of the room.
“Grand Duke!”
"I heard you woke up. Are you alright?"
As he stepped out into the hallway, the knights who had remained in the mansion rushed over to speak to him. Normally, he would have apologized for causing worry and for showing such an embarrassing side, and then chatted about what had happened. However, only one thought remained in his mind.
"Where is Erna?"
“Grand Duke?”
Seeing Callion staring down the hallway without any particular reaction to their words, the knights called out to him. Callion barely managed to regain his composure and answered.
"Did you see Erna?"
"Yes?"
“Do you know where Erna is?”
At Callion's words, the knights looked at each other for a moment. They were knights who had been with Callion for quite a long time. For that reason, they were also people who knew his manner of speaking well.
Since coming to Hessengard, he had never once called Erna by her name alone. But now, he was looking for her, calling her Erna naturally as if he had been doing so for a very long time.
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