168 - rite
*
"Huh?! You can?" (Cress) A look of disbelief flashed past her delicate expression. Her eyes grew more hopeful, shining with the brilliant lustre of the afternoon light. Like a precious gem that was polished to the extreme, glinting strongly to produce a forbidden allure to my very being. Ughh... wait, we're too young for this. What was I thinking? Getting myself out of my lost daze, it was a miracle she hadn't noticed my mesmerisation.
Sheepishly, I display tried to display a smile to mark the momentous occasion. My numbed facial skin didn't help much.
"Hmm... Maybe I should leave. I seem to be getting into the way..." (Iyori)
"Yeah may-" (Cress)
"No, it's okay! I should leave." (Iyori) Done talking, she turned her body as she approached the door. Strangely enough, a certain someone blocked the door.
"Hmmm, maybe you should stay after all~" (Cress) A smile that was not a smile. I couldn't see it from here, but what I could see was Iyori's expression. It was fear. What kind of face did Cress had to have made that could possibly paralyse the guardian's will? Who knows.
Dodging the subject, I decided to proceed with the celebration.
"Already so bossy? Imagine if you recovered completely..." (Iyori)
"pfft kukuku hahaha" (Cress) Broken into fits, small drops of tears well up in the corner of her eyes. She was laughing so hard, her eyes were closed and crying. As she wiped her tears away, I interjected.
"Yeah... I guess it is one of your traits to be so carefree... This disease... Could kill you at any time and it became a joke and an excuse to leave work to other people. Hahah." (Cress)
"Alright alright, I'll leave. You guys can kiss while I'm gone or something. I may accidentally walk in if you go further, so please refrain yourselves..." (Iyori)
Though she was more of a support type, she had an abnormally large amount of stats to distribute. Naturally this made her Agility higher than the average adventurer by leagues outside of leagues, and then above and outside again, and so on. As we were now, Cress and I were too relaxed in our resting room, this caused Iyori to flicker and vanish in our eyes. When she only ran off.
Filled with an awkward atmosphere and flush expressions, I was in a sitting position from one of the bed's features to bend until it's like a chair. I could feel Cress's breathing as she sat to the right of the bed, her wet eyes seemed to be swimming like a fish. It was undeniable that her words had impacted us, making our declaration of war yesterday seem like a joke. Well, it was less of a war and more of a personal duel, but that's up for preferences.
Maybe it was the activation of my skill [demonic energy] that allowed me to feel Cress's steady rhythmic breathing from where I sat. As to how it worked, the energy released basically became a part of my body. Whatever it felt, I could feel it, whatever new information it picked up on, I picked up on it too. A convenient feature was that I don't feel pain or loss whenever the [demonic energy] disperses. It was closer to a metal detector than a prosthetic leg that could feel sensations.
It was in this sort of moments, where my mind wanders around harder than an adventurer, and it discovers forbidden treasure. Cress's lips looked especially delicious, as her posture shifted left and right from nervousness. Why was she doing that? Was she tempting me?
"No... If we wait until then... There's a chance that it will be too late..." (Cress)
<...>
Too late? What did she mean by too late? If it was too late, that meant it had to be done earlier. Cress usually wouldn't be this pushy and shy with something as dumb as a kiss, that meant something would happen later to prevent it. Will one of us die? How did she know if something will happen later? What does she mean by something will happen later? How can she be so sure that we're not able to do it later? Where is she getting information from? The queen's memories? Where? How? Why? Why must everything be hidden? Unheard for everyone, the sound of glass cracking resounded in my ears.
Looking out the window, it seemed that a kid threw a rock and accidentally broke a window. The sound coincidentally entered my detection range.
It was less of a command, and more of a prayer. Hearing it, may make it sound like an order. However, the people that are close new that it was closer to begging than anything else.
"Wait... Stop. I'll explain everything. Your murderous intent is leaking out as mana, the pressure is so high the other patients may die. Please, stop. I won't run... So..." (Cress)
<...>
"No... I can't give you everything. Please. Trust me. This information is harmful for your existence... You will suffer from heaven's wrath and not even Iyori and I will be able to stop it..." (Cress)
"... The queen and Iyori used to have a close friend they deeply admired, her name was Emily. You are very deeply connected to her, in fact you could say she was helped a lot by you. So we are by extension, extremely grateful for your existence as well.
Simply put, you lost your memories of her. But if we tell you everything, you'll only be in danger. She is an enemy of heaven... So please, don't pursue this anymore... It's better if you remember naturally. And finally at that time, allow us to leap into your arms and cry our hearts out. Please, just promise me that... "
As she spoke, she too broke into tears. Her passion was carried in her words, every syllable articulation, every word she spoke. This time, she was truly looking straight at me. Did she finally understand my value? No that was selfish, did she finally understand how much I valued her?
I won't let my tears stop me anymore, I will continue to face forward. If I resolve all these cases one by one, my heart will finally be able to move forward. Only then, only then... Can I start on my goal. So that's why... Even if my objectives are a blur now, it's okay. I finally learned, I have to value myself first and foremost, for the others around me, for my own soul to move forward.
"Of course, it's you!" (Cress)