PMEVBO 75
“Does anything come to mind?”
After lighting a cigarette with divine power, I felt slightly off, as if I’d drank an entire bottle of liquor. But as time passed, I gradually recovered, and by the time the potion’s effects wore off, I was perfectly fine. In fact, it never even caused my HP to drop.
HP: 100
If my HP is 100, shouldn’t that mean I’m fine…?
Lost in thought, a stronger surge of energy than before flowed into me through the cheek touching his hand. My body went limp against my will, and I frowned without realizing it. Iser immediately withdrew his power. However, he didn’t remove his hand from my cheek; instead, he gently tapped my cheek with his fingertips.
“Judging by the internal injury type, it seems you used divine power.”
“……If you use your ability, how much can you tell?”
Iser was silent for a moment. He removed his hand from my cheek, lowered his gaze to the floor, and spoke.
“I don’t know everything. Just a vague sense.”
That was a relief. I’d been worried about how I’d scratched my neck without thinking.
If he knew even such trivial things, how pathetic would I look?
I let out a small sigh of relief and looked at Iser before speaking.
“I did use divine power.”
“……”
“I thought it wasn’t that bad, so I figured I’d be fine. But you’ve been healing me without me knowing all this time. Thank you.”
Iser smiled and ruffled my messy hair.
“If you’re grateful, shouldn’t you tell me where you use that divine power every day?”
…No, actually, I’m too grateful to tell you.
How am I supposed to say I used it to light a cigarette…
It wasn’t just embarrassing; I felt so sorry and ashamed. Iser had suffered five years of abuse from the duke because of his ability. And yet, he had to use that power for the reckless act of a lowlife like me… I felt like every pore in my body was screaming for an explanation.
But Iser’s gaze was relentless. Feeling like I had to say something, I finally blurted out a half-baked excuse.
“It’s too dark in here. So I used the divine power to… um, play with fire.”
“Ah, playing with fire.”
I didn’t have the courage to meet Iser’s gaze directly, so I was counting the stone patterns on the cell floor. That’s when Iser leaned his head against my shoulder. The hair brushing my neck tickled, and his low voice came right up to my ear.
“You know it’s dangerous to use divine power while wearing restraints.”
“……”
“What if you risk your life playing with fire?”
His gentle tone made me feel a twinge of self-loathing.
“Are you going to keep doing it?”
“……No, I have to stop.”
I had already made up my mind. Knowing that Iser had been treating the internal injuries caused by smoking, I couldn’t continue.
“Really?”
Iser lifted his head and looked at me. Under his gauging eyes, the soft fleshy part beneath his lower eyelid puffed up a little.
…Cute.
I found myself relaxing and chuckled.
“Hmm, really.”
I absentmindedly reached out toward Iser’s face, then stopped abruptly. Before I could pull my hand back, Iser grabbed it and rested his face against it. He softly whispered as he stared at my face.
“If you really want to play with fire, why not do it with me instead?”
“……What?”
“You won’t have to risk your life if you play with fire with me.”
He kissed my palm and smiled sweetly.
It felt like all my senses were concentrated solely in my palm. My breath hitched like a fish speared by a harpoon.
‘Die as painfully as possible. That’s the only way I can live.’
I came back to my senses as if doused with cold water.
Ah.
…Right, that’s right. Iser’s goal was the same as Isabelle’s.
The pressure of Iser’s lips against my palm intensified. Only then did I stop thinking and look back at Iser. Our gazes immediately met. As if satisfied by that, the pressure on my palm eased.
…He’s got a strong stomach.
How much must you wish for my death to treat a murderous bastard like me this way?
Iser asked if I found him disgusting, but I was the one who was disgusting. No matter how much he wanted what he sought, it was pitiful that he had to endure someone like me. Because I had no intention of dying in this world.
Iser still had his lips pressed to my palm. I slowly stroked his jaw with my thumb and spoke.
“Alright then.”
There was no need to add that I meant playing with fire with Iser. A strength incomparably stronger than before seized my hand.
“…No backing out.”
“Right.”
Even though I thought it would be far more dangerous than cigarettes, I nodded obediently.
(3/5)
D-2 (59h 59m 21s)
Before I knew it, the sound of the medicine dripping had stopped.
***
It was the day after I’d decided to quit smoking.
As always, a red envelope arrived with the morning meal distribution. I picked up the envelope containing the cigarette and stood up. Naturally, I had no intention of smoking it; I planned to hide it well out of sight.
“Ah, found it.”
A single brick at the very bottom corner of the wall. I’d accidentally discovered about two years ago that this brick was loose. I carefully pulled out the problematic brick. Once the brick was out, I slipped the red envelope into the small space revealed and slid the brick back into place. Things had gone smoothly up to this point.
The problem arose next.
“Shit…”
…Damn withdrawal symptoms.
I’d only been smoking one cigarette a day to begin with, and it had only been half a day since I’d tried to quit. Even so, I felt like I was going crazy. Anxious and restless… When I came to my senses, I found bite marks on all ten fingers.
It’s almost medication time…
As expected, the iron door opened. Soon after, the apothecary and Iser entered the cell.
I had washed my hands thoroughly. I couldn’t just hand over hands I’d put in my mouth to someone else. Well, even so, they were still hands too embarrassing to show anyone. The apothecary approached as usual, but stopped upon seeing the hand covered in bite marks.
She took only the palm, free of marks, and began the treatment. But she couldn’t bring herself to insert the needle.
“Your hands are shaking too much. How long has this been going on?”
“……Not long.”
It was true. Just moments ago, my hands hadn’t been shaking.
The apothecary pushed up her glasses and studied my complexion. Then she hesitated and glanced behind her.
“…You need to come over and help me.”
Iser, who had been standing by the wall, approached and knelt on one knee. His gaze fell on my hand, which the apothecary was holding. I curled my fingertips. The apothecary handed my hand over to Iser and said.
“Just hold it steady so it doesn’t move.”
“Yes.”
Iser grasped my wrist with one hand, then clasped my finger, covered in bite marks, with the other. The apothecary visibly flinched at his unhesitating manner.
I flinched too. Because I could feel the Power of Life flowing into me through the hand he held.
The anxiety and restlessness that had felt like it was gnawing at my brain began to fade. But that didn’t stop me from worrying.
He said using the Power of Life lets him vaguely sense where someone hurts… Does withdrawal include that too?
Then maybe cigarettes too…?
Meanwhile, the apothecary’s treatment ended. Iser slowly withdrew his hand, and the flowing energy gradually ceased. The bite marks still remained on my hand, but the trembling had stopped. Iser must have healed it.
After the apothecary left, only the sound of medicine droplets falling echoed in the cell. Iser took his usual spot beside me and sat down. But he was silent. Like a thief caught red-handed, I was agonizing over whether I should finally confess about the cigarettes.
Then Iser, his gaze fixed straight ahead, spoke.
“Do you like being bitten?”
Only then did I realize my bite marks could appear that way to others. I clutched my forehead and hurriedly opened my mouth.
“No, it’s not like that—”
“If not that, then you like biting?”
Iser looked at me then smiled.
“That’s good. I like being bitten.”
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