PMEVBO 84

My original goal was to clear the sub-quest and the main quest before the night banquet began. I thought I’d be able to hunt monsters when there were at least a few less people in the castle. But life didn’t exactly go as I planned.

I already cleared the first sub-quest that dropped after I reached Level 2. However, the second sub-quest appeared just now, while the banquet’s opening ceremony was in full swing.

—–————【Sub Quest 】—–———–—

Praise ‘XXX Hayut’!

(0/7)

D-1 (24h)

Reward: Vaccine generation rate ?%

—–———–———–———–———–——

I honestly thought this goal was unrealistic, so I didn’t feel too devastated by the current situation.

“More than that, I’m getting curious.”

I wondered why the system kept setting Iser as [unauthorized copy]the target for praise. There was something else I wondered about too. I rested my elbows on my propped-up knees and looked into the status window again.

—–——【System Notification 】—–——

Treatment will be activated automatically after the vaccine’s generation.

Vaccine generation rate: 40% (40/100)

—–———–———–———–———–——

The sub-quest reward changed to a random vaccine generation rate, and I’ve successfully finished three sub-quests so far. The first two rewards gave me 10% each, so the total rate was 20%. But the total rate jumped to 40% just now after I received the third reward.

(0 ≤ ? ≤ 20)

It was strange that the maximum limit suddenly increased from 10 to 20. It was even weirder that I hit the maximum again. It’s good to have more, but this feels too strange.

I narrowed my eyes because of the unsettling feeling. That was when I heard a sound.

Creak

The cell’s heavy iron door opened. I knew who stood behind the door even before it fully opened. Iser already told me who was the 9th floor’s duty officer during this banquet week. No one else was on the 9th floor besides Iser and me.

I raised my head and looked toward the door. I frowned slightly because the light leaked through the wide-open door and blinded me. Iser entered the room in comfortable clothes instead of his guard uniform.

“Is something wrong?”

I asked as I reached out a hand to Iser. He didn’t hesitate to place his hand on my palm, and then he squatted down in front of me.

“Lucariel, I have a favor to ask. Can you help me?”

“Sure.”

I nodded. Iser chuckled.

“Without even hearing what it is?”

“I’ll do it. I’ll do everything I can for you.”

I answered while I leaned my head against the arm on my knee. Iser didn’t say anything. I stared at his hand as it rested quietly on my palm. I gently rubbed his fingertips with my thumb and asked, “Why? Is it something hard to do?”

Iser gripped my hand tightly. I raised my head to check his expression, but I felt a soft sensation on my lips before I could. He gave me a short kiss that made a soft popping sound, and then he smiled beautifully. I forgot what we were even talking about for a moment.

Iser intertwined his fingers with mine and looked down at the floor. Then he spoke in a small voice.

“To be honest… I hasn’t been able to sleep lately.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know.”

I lifted the hand I was leaning on and brushed his under-eye area with my thumb. He stared at me and leaned his head against my palm. He continued slowly.

“I think I could sleep if you stayed with me like before. Can you do that for me, just for today?”

I thought it might be one of three things. Either he truly suffered from insomnia, or it was just an extension of his temptation for revenge, or maybe it was both. But it didn’t matter. I had no reason to say no.

I chuckled and answered.

“Alright, let’s sleep together.”

But I really hoped it was the second reason. I wanted him to be able to sleep well.

Six years passed since I was imprisoned in Hell, but this was my first time in the duty officer’s breakroom. I could see the dark interior of the room through the open door.

Iser went inside first and started to light the candles. The room brightened quickly, and it looked much cozier than I expected.

Fortunately, there was bed and blankets.

Once I agreed to sleep with him, Iser suddenly suggested we move to the 9th floor’s ​stolen content​break room. I hesitated at first, but I had to follow his lead. There wasn’t even another blanket in the cell, let alone a bed.

I’m used to it, so I don’t mind, but I can’t let Iser sleep in a place like that. Even if I brought a separate blanket, the floor is freezing.

However, the break room was too bright and clean. It felt like a place where a person like me, someone thrown in here for a heinous crime, shouldn’t step foot. I had similar thoughts about the visitation room or Iser’s quarters, but it wasn’t a problem then. I knew those were places I’d leave quickly.

But I have to sleep here this time…

I watched Iser change the blankets to new ones and spoke without thinking.

“Can I wash up?”

Iser’s hand stopped while he was tidying the bedsheets. He slowly turned to me and tilted his head.

“Is it the bathroom you need permission for this time too?”

I didn’t understand what he meant for a second. Then a memory I had forgotten came back to me.

‘Can I wash up?’

‘What? Why… why are you asking for my permission to wash your own body!?’

‘I’m asking for permission to use the bathroom, not for my body. There’s unauthorized copyonly one bathroom here.’

It seemed I said the exact same thing as I did six years ago. I laughed and answered once I realized the situation.

“Of course I mean my body.”

“How did you know?”

Iser sat on the edge of the bed and laughed softly.

“I was too embarrassed to say anything back then, but it felt a bit regrettable the more I thought about it. I want you to get my permission before you wash from now on.”

Right, we did have a conversation like that.

‘If you want, should I get your permission before I wash from now on?’

‘I told you not to say things like that.’

The image of the fourteen-year-old Iser, who trembled with a red face hidden in a cushion, overlapped with the current Iser who looked up at me with a seductive smile. I realized just how much Iser had changed. But he was still just as cute as he was back then. I let out a dry laugh and cupped his cheeks. His face looked delicate, but it felt firm in my palms.

“Then give me your permission now. I feel dirty and I want to wash.”

“For free?”

“What, should I give you a kiss?”

I looked at him with disbelief, and Iser chuckled. But he soon stopped laughing and stared up at my face. He spoke after a short silence.

“You should wash if you want to.”

“…”

“But which part of you is dirty?”

I pulled my hands away from his cheeks, and Iser gently caught both of my wrists. He bowed his head and kissed my joined hands before he laughed softly.

“I can smell soap on you.”

His blushing face was lovely. I couldn’t even breathe, as if time had stopped. I turned my gaze away from him much later. Only then could I finally speak.

“…I just came from rolling around on the cell floor.”

“Then I must be dirty too.”

“What?”

I met his deep blue eyes which I had tried to ignore. Iser smiled gently and shook my wrists playfully.

“I was by your side during the medicine time too.”

“…”

“I’ll go wash in the next break room while you wash here.”

He had already washed right before he came to my cell to get me. The tips of his hair were slightly wet, and a faint scent of soap mixed with his herb-like body odor.

“Give me that kiss after we both finish washing.”

I couldn’t say anything until Iser finally left the room.