As soon as Rubia gently set down the crumpled water jug, she began to probe deeper into her encounter with Lilith.
But… there was nothing to say.
It was really just a brief meeting, and there was only one question exchanged between them.
“…So, that’s it? You brought Noah here because you loved him?”
“Yes… I swear I didn’t do anything that Rubia would hate…”
“Yeah. I believe Noah. It’s just that I can’t trust the people around him.”
‘Mostly “me,” though,’ Rubia muttered, smiling bitterly as she tilted her cup.
“By the way, it’s strange, isn’t it? That you loved Noah while you were in another world… But didn’t they say that deities have no emotions?”
“Yes…”
“Even so, you… um…”
I had my own doubts. Hearing Lilith’s answer left me wondering what on earth it meant… At that time, after all, I was somewhat…
Not in a good place.
“Right. Well… Even if I try to find out why now, I guess I won’t be able to… I just have to accept it. The process was really… tough and painful, but now, Noah is here with me.”
Finally, Rubia’s hand, having set down her cup, gently caressed my chin.
“So, Noah. You don’t have to feel burdened or guilty about having me as your avatar. I actually like it. I get to spend eternity with you. And you don’t need to worry about me suffering just because of some transient immortality. Absolutely, no matter what happens, that won’t happen. Got it?”
“…Y-yeah.”
With that ticklish touch, I lifted my chin and responded in a shaky voice. Seeing me like that, Rubia snickered, tidying up my slightly tousled hair.
“Are you hungry?”
“Uh… J-just a little.”
“Then, shall we go out for a meal?”
“O-out…?”
“Yes. You’ve probably never been to the territory, so you can see a lot of things and eat something. How about it?”
Sounds good. Really good, but…
I turned my head to look out the window.
It was completely dark outside.
Stars were twinkling and a slightly deformed moon hung in the sky.
“It’s completely… night, though?”
“It’s okay. The territory wouldn’t be the territory for no reason! There are shops that are open even at this hour. Plus, with the coronation coming up, a lot of places will be open later.”
Oh my God…
24-hour convenience stores, only seen on Earth… exist here too?
“Wow… Th-then I want to go out.”
“Great!”
Clatter— Risen from her seat, Rubia reached out her hand toward me.
“Shall we wash up before going out? You’re all sweaty and sticky, right?”
I was about to reach out for Rubia’s hand, but then hesitated. An unknown anxiety made me withdraw my hand.
“…Ru-Rubia.”
“Yes?”
“Um… My back… it hurts?”
Rubia didn’t respond.
“And, um… here… my thighs… they’re sore… where you bit me… hurts too… um…”
Still no reply.
She instead smiled sweetly, seeming to await my next words.
“I-I really just need to wash… um, you understand, right?”
Without any response, Rubia’s hand moved closer.
“…P-please answer…”
“Hmm… Noah.”
“Y-yes…?”
With an enigmatic smile, Rubia took a step closer to me.
“After not eating jelly for over a year, if a really delicious jelly is right in front of you, can you not eat it and just resist?”
“…Is there a reason to hold back…?”
“Nope! There’s no reason to resist. No one will mind if you eat it. In fact, the jelly will be happy! So can you really not eat it?”
“Th-that…”
Then, with a smoothness, Rubia leaned in very close, whispering softly.
“You should eat it. You need to satisfy your cravings, and keep eating until you’re satisfied.”
It didn’t even touch my skin. She didn’t lick my ear or run her fingers along my body, but—
Something, something, something… Rubia’s voice…
That bewitching voice seemed to sweep over my entire body.
Chills ran down my spine—
Swallow…
My legs trembled.
“Huh…”
I hiccuped.
“Let’s hurry and wash up.”
At last, Rubia’s hand grasped mine.
And slowly, gently, as if she were saying to push me away if I could, she led me along.
I…
…couldn’t push away.
*
Rubia’s scent wafted into my nose.
We used the same soap, but there was something subtly different about the fragrance.
Perhaps it was mixed with Rubia’s body smell.
“Being carried feels comfortable, right?”
“R-Right, but… um, could you please stop groping my behind?”
“That’s a no-go.”
A no-go…? What on earth…
“Don’t like it?”
“Um… no, it’s not that I don’t like it, but…”
It just feels strange… If I’m not careful, it might lead to…
“I-I might make weird noises…”
At my words, Rubia chuckled.
“It’s fine. There’s no one around.”
That’s not… Hoo…
As Rubia had said, we were walking—no, Rubia was carrying me through a path where there were no people.
Occasionally, drunken folks stumbled around, and people who seemed to have finished overtime work would swish by, but overall, there weren’t many people around.
“It’s quiet, isn’t it?”
“Yes…”
Clack— Clack— The sound of Rubia’s low-heeled shoes softly fell upon the territory’s streets.
“What do you think?”
“What about…?”
“Sure, there are a few places that are a bit rundown and still a bit messy, but isn’t it all very peaceful?”
I followed the direction of Rubia’s gaze. Just as she said, there had been a war not long ago.
Well, if it could even be called a war, it had rather been neat thanks to the onslaught of monsters.
There weren’t any ferocious odors from monsters.
No smell of spilled blood.
No scent of thick dust rising or the metallic tang associated with battle— it was a peaceful street devoid of any trace of war.
Occasionally, the sounds of chattering from family homes and the clinking of dishes from restaurants still serving added to the normalcy of this street.
“This is the world Noah protected.”
“Um…”
I nodded. Rubia wouldn’t see it, but I slightly bobbed my head. It was too embarrassing to respond… so I just gently nodded.
“And this is the world we will live in from now on.”
Rubia’s voice, softly resonating in the quiet street, made my ears feel a little warm.
So, I buried my face in her hair, which reflected the moonlight softly, far more delicate and neatly arranged than when I first saw her at the end of the world. The ticklish sensation made my face itch.
With every breath Rubia took, every movement she made, and every step she took, that sensation grew stronger, but…
I quietly allowed myself to fully embrace that feeling.
“Thank you, Noah.”
Suddenly, Rubia spoke.
“It’s not about thanking you for protecting this world. It’s a little… selfish, but… heehee… Just… just for being by my side. For being carried like this, that’s what I’m thankful for.”
“Why are you thankful when I’m the one being carried…?”
“Ah-hah, it’s just like that.”
“Wha—?!”
Squeeze— Rubia’s hand gripped my behind tightly.
“To swing a great sword really requires strong legs, doesn’t it? Noah, your lower body is really—”
“M-m-m-muh, what are you talking about?!!”
Slap-slap— I patted Rubia’s shoulder and reached out with my other hand to cover her mouth.
At the same time, lick. Something soft and moist, no… Rubia’s tongue licked between my fingers.
“Ugh…”
Such a dirty sensation.
Startled, I yanked my hand away from Rubia’s mouth.
“Oh my?”
That’s when Rubia turned to face me.
I could only see her side profile, but she had a very surprised look on her face.
“What’s wrong…?”
“Uh, um…”
After a moment of choosing her words, Rubia whispered with a chuckle in my ear.
“Even after crying so much, it’s wet again?”
“Yes…? Ugh, uggghhhh…!! Let me down! Quickly! D-don’t touch me…!!”
*
The day before the coronation.
Having read the speech numerous times, Charlotte pressed her head with a frown.
“…I can do this. I can do this. You are the best. Yes. I am the best. I can do this…”
The somewhat eerie and pitiful self-hypnosis that began yesterday lingered on.
Dark circles had formed under her eyes, and her once-lustrous golden hair looked dry.
Poor Charlotte…
And next to her, Heinzel, who looked sullen after losing an arm-wrestling match to me, was fiddling with his hair.
Why would he be fixing his hair when he has not even a strand left?
Ah, could it be that he wonders if even a single hair has sprouted?
Will he then pluck it out?
Or… Is he holding onto hope?
Hmm… But should he really not give up that hope? Since even Rubia… with Lilith’s divine power couldn’t heal baldness.
“Hmm? Do you want to say something?”
“Y-yes…? N-no…”
I was startled and shook my head while avoiding his gaze.
Not far from where I turned my eyes, Hermila was reviewing Charlotte’s speech.
“No matter how you rewrite it, it really reads like a fantasy novel…”
A fantasy novel, huh.
Uh… To me, this entire world feels like a fantasy novel.
No, it’s a game.
“There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s based on reality.”
In response to Hermila’s statement, Yuria was tidying Hephaestus’s hair.
“Hehe. It’s amazing that I made the great sword used by Noah, the heroine of that story… Hehe, I’m rich now… Yuria, tell me anything you want to eat! I’ll buy it all!!”
Right in front of her, Hephaestus sat, still grinning foolishly ever since handing the great sword to me.
“So, Noah, are you all set?”
Then Rubia, who had been feeding me jelly while I sat on her lap, asked me that.
Ready…
There’s really nothing for me to prepare.
I only need to show the look that adds strength to Charlotte’s speech. Seriously, nothing at all.
They just said to pull out the great sword and swing it around.
Not Hephaestus’s great sword, but mine.
In that process, I also asked them not to let my status out, just in case.
I pleaded, nearly in tears, that if for some reason the sky turns red and the black sun rises again, the people might fall into chaos once more…
The palace staff, along with the duke close to Charlotte, were sweating profusely, pleading awfully.
And so, all I have to do is pull out the great sword.
Pull it out and swing it.
That’s it.
With just that one show, I’m not certain if it will even add strength to the speech, but… well, since the smart Charlotte said so, I guess it’s true.
Therefore…
Preparation is…
“Wow, it’s perfect…”
It’s perfect.
“Oh my, really? Hehe.”
Rubia, looking pleased with my success, ruffled my hair and smiled blissfully.
“Yeah… I’m glad it’s perfect, but just to be safe, let me say it again. Noah, you must absolutely not let that black sun rise. Don’t make the sky all dark either. Understood?”
“Y-yes…!”
“Really, if you do, I might just die from a heart attack. Or I might bite my tongue and just die. Okay? So please, let’s not do that. You have no idea how hard I worked to keep it all together…”
“Of course. Just trust me…!”
With my chest puffed out, I replied to Charlotte.
However, Charlotte didn’t seem convinced and let out a sigh.
“…Alright. Thanks.”
Then she went back to memorizing the enormously thick speech, furrowing her brow.
Next to her, Hermila continued smiling wistfully while reviewing Charlotte’s speech.
Heinzel was still managing his bald head.
Yuria and Hephaestus chatted away, looking uninterested.
In between, Rubia and I—
We listened to a peaceful noise.
With warm sunlight pouring down.
Welcoming the thumping heart, we anticipated—
A tomorrow that was ordinary.
Special.
And oh-so-happy.
