HEO 108

A strong smell of alcohol wafted from the man. That scent actually cleared Silver’s head a little. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to turn away immediately and kept staring at him. Or rather, it was more as if he were held captive by his gaze, by those amber eyes that glowed even in the darkness.

The next moment, Silver flinched. Without warning, the man had tilted his head toward him. The sound of him drawing in a breath followed.

That was all.

The man’s movement had narrowed the distance between them ever so slightly, and breathing was a natural bodily function for anyone. Yet goosebumps broke out on Silver’s skin.

Did he just sniff me? Why?

The man immediately took a step back.

“I look like a mess, right? I just woke up.”

His voice sounded more intoxicated than sleepy.

“Where have you been all this time?”

Silver started feeling dizzy again. He held his breath and said,

“I was on this island.”

“I didn’t see you.”

“So what? I’m not obligated to be visible to you.”

“I guess you’re right.”

The man chuckled softly and turned away. His broad back was exposed like a canvas. The black tattoo running from his shoulder down his back writhed flexibly with the movement of his firm muscles. Silver clenched his fist tightly, then opened it.

I have to leave. I shouldn’t deal with that junkie anymore; I should just turn around and go… But that scent… Ah…

No. Get out of here…

His disjointed train of thought snapped apart abruptly. His feet moved of their own accord, drawn toward the scent of sandalwood. Silver breathed in and out. After repeating this two or three times, it no longer mattered whether it was drugs or something else. He’d snorted it occasionally in the past. There was no harm in doing it again after so long.

The room was just as it had been, except for its owner. A single brazier barely illuminated the darkness, and a pile of furs was heaped in one corner. On the table lay gold trinkets scattered like seeds sown in a spring vegetable garden. On the wall hung a stuffed wolf’s head. Further inside stood a bed draped with long curtains. On the side table sat glasses and bottles of liquor.

Huh?

Finally, something unfamiliar caught his eye. A pure-white bird was perched on a perch beside the bed. It wasn’t a taxidermy specimen.

The man raised one arm and whistled briefly. The bird flew up from the perch and fluttered down to land on the man’s forearm. His hook-like talons dug into his forearm, but the man didn’t even flinch.

Silver’s brow furrowed slightly. That bird?

It finally came back to him. It was the same bird that had been pecking at the man’s neck, when Silver first found him on the beach.

“Was that yours?”

Silver raised his voice without him realizing it. The man glanced at him.

“Mine?”

“That bird. It was with you when you were lying on the beach. It was yours from the start?”

“This little guy doesn’t belong to anyone. We’re friends. Closer than brothers.”

The man looked at the bird. The bird rubbed his tiny beak against the man’s forearm. At that moment, for an instant unauthorized copy so fleeting that Silver briefly doubted his own eyes, a warm smile flitted across the man’s lips.

Well, there were many in Stoll who showed greater affection for animals or insects than for people. But there was something special about them…

His chain of thought broke once again. Before he knew it, Silver’s gaze was fixed on the man. Golden hair cascading down to his abs. It was long and smooth, unlike what one would expect from a warrior. It made his bare, muscular torso appear more savage.

A wild beast is more cruel when it presses its forepaws against the nape of a fawn’s neck than when it’s fighting its own kind.

That beautiful hair was the fawn.

And then there was his build. He was so tall that even a large door suddenly seemed dwarfed by him. Yet he didn’t give the impression of being unsteady on his feet. His physique felt as though you could almost reach out and touch the thick bones that supported his muscles. Strangely enough, there were no visible scars, not a single one of the battle marks that warriors held as a badge of honor.

His gaze slid below his abs. He caught sight of golden pubic hair slightly exposed from beneath his loose-fitting pants. Even the outline of his genitals stood out more clearly in the darkness.

Silver blinked. Why am I doing this?

I can’t tear my eyes away from him.

The scent. Shit, it’s all because of that drug-laced herb.

“Are you a junkie?”

Unable to hold back any longer, he asked. The man and the bird both froze simultaneously and looked at Silver.

“A junkie? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. You mixed drugs into the sandalwood powder.”

“Sandalwood powder?”

The man stared at Silver.

“You mean it smells like sandalwood? Right here?”

“It’s faint, but yeah.”

Silver inhaled without thinking and immediately regretted it. The world around him tilted.

“It really is sandalwood. I’ve always wondered, where did you get such high-quality sandalwood powder? It’s a rare commodity that fetches a high price even on the mainland.”

“When do you mean?”

The man’s tone as he asked sounded anxious.

“When you had that fever. The scent of sandalwood was so strong in the room. I could even taste it on the tip of my tongue.”

“Sandalwood… You mean you can actually smell that scent?”

“It sounds like you can’t smell sandalwood.”

Silver fought off his dizziness and forced a smile.

“They called you ‘Stuffy-Nosed Mouse’ I guess that name had a story behind it for you. Did you always have a cold?”

“Not really. It’s just….”

The man smiled. Even as his vision wavered, that smile left a strange impression on Silver.

“All I can smell is the scent of irises. Very strongly. It’s almost suffocating.”

“The scent of irises?”

Confused, Silver took another deep breath. All he could still smell was sandalwood. There was not the slightest hint of damp earth, strong soap, or dried purple flowers.

“It’s just sandalwood.”

“To me, it’s the scent of irises.”

“Okay. Your nose isn’t stuffed.”

Silver waved one hand dismissively.

“The drugs must have messed with your sense of smell. If you tried kneading dough like this, you’d definitely ruin the seasoning…”

Silver’s voice trailed off. Suddenly, the saturation of everything around him increased dramatically. The man’s golden hair shone so brightly it hurt the eyes. The black tattoo wrapping around his torso moved this way and that, like a fish swimming beneath clear ice. The dim light of the setting sun seeping through the cracks in the planks nailed over the window turned a vibrant orange.

Hallucination. It’s hallucinations.

Silver hesitated, then backed away in short, jerky steps. His back hit the wall.

The man walked over to the side table. He grabbed a bottle of liquor and downed it in one gulp. A stream [Read on]of liquid trickled down his chin. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down in time with the gulping sounds.

After a moment, the man slammed the bottle down. Startled by the noise, the bird flapped his white wings, flew up, and perched on the perch.

The man turned around and wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Your face.”

He took a step toward Silver.

“Take off your mask and show me your face.”

“……Why?”

Silver barely managed to get the words out. Perhaps due to the effects of the drug, all the strength was draining from his body.

“It’s an ugly face. What’s the point of looking at it…….”

“I need to see it. Your real face.”

“My face is the one you know.”

“The one I know?”

The man’s tone dropped.

“A clean, beautiful face without any scars. That’s the real face of yours that I know. Show it to me now.”

“You…… you’re drunk…….”

Suddenly, the hallucinations vanished. Everything around him settled back into its original colors, but inside Silver’s mind, everything grew even more hazy, as if he were sinking into the depths of the ocean.

“There’s no way that could be your real face……”

“Magic played a trick on you. Show me your real face.”

“You’ve already… seen it.”

“Yes, I’ve already seen it. I just want to see it one more time.”

The man was already close. One step from him. No, a little less than that. He was far too close. He could even see the beads of Read on sweat glistening on his bare chest.

The door was still open. Just a few steps out of there, and he’d be in the hallway. Dark and cold, but a place he could escape to.

But Silver’s feet, his gaze – they were directed not toward the door, but solely at the man.

“Whether I show you or not, that’s up to me……”

“I want to see it. One more time, up close.”

“I said… no.”

“The more you refuse, the more I want to see it.”

The man’s hand reached up. His long fingers, which had been reaching out, stopped just in front of Silver’s chin. It was as if, at the last moment, an invisible chain had bound his wrist and pulled him back.

“Get out of here. No, don’t leave. Please, just leave.”

Incoherent words poured from the man’s mouth. Then he pursed his lips, shook his head, and closed his eyes before opening them again.