Translator: mii
Editors: sleepchaser, ASplashofMusic, Katie_WanderingFujoshi
It took us fifteen days to reach Tobol village’s neighboring town.
Before the demon had attacked the village, Mister Kenneth visited this town on a monthly basis. He used to take around one day to travel between the two places by horse, but his usual route probably no longer existed.
When I was still Allen, not once had I ever set foot outside of Tobol. So me knowing the path was out of question. Meanwhile, Riley had only travelled from Tobol to this town once, when he was twelve. Time had already eroded his memory of that day.
Our journey had gone without a hitch so far. I never imagined that we’d encounter a problem just as we were almost at Tobol village.
“Considering the directions, the village should be around that area, right? So why don’t we search around there? See if we can catch a glimpse of the village?”
“No, I want to avoid doing that. Some demons and wild animals roam around this place. Plus Ilya needs to have enough rest.”
“Huh? I’m the problem?” I puffed my cheeks, before shifting my gaze to the side. “…Well, maybe you’ve got a point.”
Riley was putting me into consideration.
When it came down to it, he was the hero who had so bravely stepped foot within demon territory, defeating the Demon King and his minions. For him to fear a few small-fry demons was inconceivable. But for me, a mere scratch from a puppy-sized demon could bring about serious injuries.
If one were to consider that, getting a peaceful night’s sleep in such a dangerous environment should be difficult.
Even so, we already knew the general direction of the village, as well as the fact that it should only take around a day by horse. And since it was winter, buildings should be easily spotted amidst the white snow. It wasn’t like I was suggesting that we randomly loiter around the forest.
“Still, you’re being too overprotective,” I whined.
“Ilya,” said Riley, warning in his tone.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. We’ll gather information from the townspeople tomorrow, then depart the day after that, right? You’re so stubborn,” I said, glaring and pouting for good measure.
Slight panic and remorse flashed across his face.Apologetic, he scooped me into his arms and pressed me tightly against him.
Hmph, Riley’s playing dirty.
He probably realized that the warmth of his embrace could calm me down.
Yes, he definitely did. That must be why he was doing this.
I often wondered where that cute Riley had gone. But to be honest, it’d be strange if a twenty-eight-years-old man acted cute.
That said, how frustrating it was that he could coax me so obediently like this.
So I stood on my toes and moved my lips close to his ear. I whispered, “Then, we still have time today. Let’s do it?”
I circled my hands around his neck, pulling his head down. I kissed him, biting his lower lip and giving it a suck before I pulled back.
Riley’s pomegranate eyes widened before gradually glazing over. I inwardly laughed. As I thought, Riley’s flustered state was quite the cute sight.
✢
Since that awkward first time, we were unable to keep our hands off each other.
We often stripped naked and explored each other’s bodies, fingers quick and slick before hot white painted our skin.
If I were a woman, we could go even further, have a more intimate connection. But since both of us were men, that was impossible.
Even so, just caressing each other’s skin was enough to drown me in euphoria.
As Riley called out my name, my heart felt heavy.
“Since God made the effort to grant me a second life, I wish He had also made me a woman,” I said.
“Why?”
“If I were a woman, I would be able to connect with you.”
If I remembered it right, the nun used to say, “God divided a soul into two people, man and woman. That’s how He made us humans.”
Once He finished creating man and woman, the world was finally complete.
For this reason, people of the same gender couldn’t join to become one.
“Well, I’m thankful to have even been reborn, though,” I added.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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But this time, Riley averted his gaze from me and covered his face, heaving out a sigh.
And was it just me, or did his ears slightly redden too?
Also, why did he keep glancing at me?
I shot him a questioning gaze, but Riley looked like he didn’t want to talk about it.
Riley awkwardly rubbed his head before pecking me on the forehead. “…I’ll go wash my face.”
Why did he treat me like a child just now? Was it fun acting like an adult?
I pouted at him again, yet Riley seemed deep in thought.
Then, still not looking at me, he stood on unsteady feet and stepped through the door.
What a weird guy.
I put on my shoes, wondering just what was up with him, and approached the window to take in the view outside.
But there was no view. Covered in clouds, the sky was completely dark. Not a single star or speck of light in sight.
I looked toward the direction of Tobol, only to see a similar darkness.
Tobol.
The village where Allen and Riley had lived.
The place where all the villagers now lay in eternal rest.
Fear and joy both filled my heart. Although I looked forward to going back I inexplicably also felt restless. Like something was wrong. But I didn’t know what.
I simply kept staring out of the window, trying to pinpoint the source of this apprehension.
✢
The answer finally came after several blinks of my eyes.
Once I opened them, I discovered an unknown presence inside the room.
He wasn’t human.
His hair seemed oily and was a strange color. His ears were pointed. Long fangs protruded from his mouth, leaving long gashes from his face all the way to his ears. Nothing about him resembled a human at all…
An ominous feeling rose within my chest. One that I had only ever felt once, in my previous life.
Demon.
As this word flashed through my mind, cold sweat ran down my back.
“Uhh, who are you? What are you doing this late at night?” I blurted without thinking.
Stupid! Why would I ask him that?
With how he intruded, there was no way he would easily tell me his name. And even if he did, I wouldn’t recognize it anyway.
Ah, but if he did answer, that would be a great help to me.
If I could prolong the conversation until Riley returned, then he could defeat this demon.
It was a blow to my manly pride, but I didn’t have the power to fight.
In this life, not once had I wielded a sword. I had no magic power whatsoever as well. Should I enter battle with this demon, I would most likely perish within a few strikes. And if that were to occur, would such an event give birth to the second Demon King?
Recalling my conversation with Mister Elmer, I retreated a step as more sweat ran down the sides of my head.
As the demon muttered something, I grabbed my bag and dashed for the door.
At that moment, a blinding light filled the room. Eyes wide, I watched as my feet left the ground, my body weightless as I floated toward the ceiling.
It felt uncomfortable, like someone was shaking me upside down while I was drunk. Before I could gather myself, I hit the ground.
It’s… cold?
I looked down. Frost covered the ground, the howling wind giving me whiplash upon every gust.
I wasn’t inside the room anymore. That demon probably teleported me outside. Bit by bit, I raised my body, making sure not to irritate him.
Once I had successfully sat up, I scanned my surroundings. And for a moment, I didn’t know where I was.
The frost-covered ground was brown, mixed with the silver of the frost.
Most of the rubble in the area had already grown dull in color after being fully exposed to the outside elements over the years.
As I looked around some more, I caught sight of a familiar tree.
In reality, it was two trees that were fitted closely together, with their trunks twisting around each other and their roots intertwined so that they could nourish one another. It seemed like a single tree that was stretching its branches toward the boundless sky.
In the summer, this large “tree” had long, thin leaves rustling in the wind. Whereas in the fall, it graced us with many fruits. It was our favorite, the olive tree behind the orphanage.
…So, this was Tobol village?
As I swept my gaze away from the tree, I saw a cross propped up nearby.
The cross appeared as if it were spreading its arms up to heaven. It still looked majestic even though the church itself had been obliterated.
As Allen, I used to pray kneeling under that cross quite frequently. Never had imagined I would see it again.
“Welcome to the hero’s hometown!” The demon from before twisted its face into a cruel grin, and disharmonious cheers resounded behind him.
Exactly how many creatures were there?
The moment I caught sight of the horde of strange beings, my fingers started to tremble. I clutched my hands into fists in an attempt to remain calm.
I needed to evaluate the situation carefully.
Riley only went to wash his face. So, he shouldn’t take that long to return. Once he returned to the room, he would notice my disappearance and would immediately look for me.
Knowing where to search for me might be a problem, though. I wasn’t sure whether tracking magic, or something of the sort, existed. But even if he could find me that way, it was still a day’s worth of travel to come here by horse.
Ah, but… if he used the same teleportation magic as the demon, he could come faster, right?
I was unsure how it did that, but we had covered a day’s distance in the blink of an eye.
If this was the case, then waiting for Riley to save me was the right choice. However…
No matter how amazing Riley was, this situation would be too unfavorable for him, right?
The demons didn’t simply number in the single digits.
I couldn’t even discern how many they were from their blended cheers and chatter.
Probably, this was a very elaborate strategy concocted by some of the remaining demons.
They secretly monitored, making sure Riley wouldn’t notice. It was then that they had realized I was Riley’s weakness.
Afterward, they gathered in Tobol village in wait. Until the moment I was defenseless.
And then, they brought me here alive. Their aim was…
“You are using me as bait to lure the hero, right?”
“Bingo.” The demon laughed, his torn mouth forming an eerie arc.
I grimaced at the grotesque sight. But there were more worrying aspects to consider.
Even if Riley were to come here, he couldn’t fight as long as I was at the demons’ mercy.
If they were to threaten to kill me, I could imagine him readily surrendering.
Riley would accept their beating until he… died…
That must be their aim.
I must escape at all costs. So they couldn’t use me as leverage against Riley.
I hadn’t stopped trembling even since we arrived here, in spite of my attempts to suppress it. My complexion should be pale as snow as well.
Because this place was too fucking cold!
The spring winds whipped through the air tonight. Moreover, my clothes were too thin. I would probably freeze to death before those demons could do anything to me.
But thanks to the cold, I appeared scared out of my wits.
A weaponless young man who trembled in fear. Feeling empowered, the demons laughed as they surrounded me, grating to the ears.
“P-please. Let me pray one last time.”
Fuck, I fumbled my words. It was so cold that my teeth chattered!
Well… at least it painted me in a more pitiful light. So it should have a better effect, right?
Their laughs grew even louder, as the demons all mocked me.
I couldn’t make out their words, but maybe they were looking at me as if I was a complete moron.
The surrounding demons moved back, clearing a path to the cross for me.
Hey, were they sending me to the execution table?!
As my imagination went wild, I followed the path on trembling legs, one slow step at a time.
Time was precious.
I had to drag it out and gain a bit more, while taking care not to invoke the demons’ irritation.
If I earned enough time, the chances of me surviving would increase.
I made my way to the back of the cross, suppressing my impatience.
After kneeling down, I placed my hands on my knees. Then I closed my eyes, and prayed.
God, I’m sorry, and thank you.
For letting Allen and Riley meet in the past life.
For giving me a second chance.
…There was a reason why I prayed by the back of the cross.
With nothing left of the church aside from it, the demons naturally couldn’t tell which was the front or the back of the cross.
The entrance to the hidden staircase was still there, untouched after all these years.
After I finished my prayer and rose to my feet, the presumed leader of the demons flashed a grin.
Now that I’d calmed down, this demon looked weaker than the one that had annihilated our village.
I wouldn’t win against it. But Riley can.
As long as I wasn’t in their hands, the hero wouldn’t lose.
“Are you praying for that God to save you?”
“Nope. There’s nothing else I can do. So I might as well try to escape!”
As I said these words, I pulled out an orb from my bag.
If I remembered correctly, Mister Elmer had called it a flash orb. It would emit a blinding light upon shattering.
So I closed my eyes and hurled it toward the ground.
The light was indeed blinding. I could still discern some of it despite my closed eyes, an orange and tangerine sky before me. Without a doubt, the demons must be disoriented.
Grabbing the opportunity, I blindly ran toward the hidden staircase, my eyes still screwed tight.
Support the author! Here’s the tutorial made by “Shido Within” on how to buy digital books at CMOA. The tutorial specifies on how to buy digital manga, but I think it should work for novels too. After registering, you can click here to go to Icy’s CMOA page. Apparently, you can also buy this book at Bookwalker Japan! You’ll need to create a Bookwalker Global account first, then connect to VPN before clicking here to go to Icy’s Bookwalker page (or you can go there from the RAW Page on Icy’s ToC!). Here’s the guide on how to purchase books on Bookwalker JP Store! After the purchase, you can turn off the VPN and download to read the book on any device! (Thank you Shadow-san for telling me about this! ˭̡̞(◞⁎˃ᆺ˂)◞*✰) The difference is that if you’re using CMOA, you need to pay using your credit card, but with Bookwalker, you can pay using PayPal! Very efficient!
Support the translator! How about buying this translator a cup of bubble tea to give her a pat in the back? ₍₍ ◝(●˙꒳˙●)◜ ₎₎
Ah Illya! Riley please save Illya soon! Kill all the demons who dare to harm your baby!
Thanks for the chapter~
❤
That hidden entrance has saved two lives…
Thanks for the chapter~ ( ^ ♡ ^ )/
Ilya’s such a mood ლ(・﹏・ლ). And the way Riley just sighed after realizing the real reason they haven’t done it yet lol
Ilya you’re always so conniving XD proud of your trust in Riley to fight them off and how you know to survive the attack this time.
I thought he was having a nightmare. Then it turned out to be real.
Fucking hell man.
I do not need this anxiety.
+1
+1
+1
Mood
+1
Oh my gosh so much tension 😖
Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter! Sigh, he managed to get himself in trouble again & his poor lover is going to loose his mind…
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
Ilya doesn’t know two men can connect, huh? No Wonder Riley was so flustered.
If Ilya was transported together with his bag, then Riley could think he Ran away.
Thanks for the chapter!
Omo that escalated quickly..
Thank you so much for the chapter!!!~ 🙇🙇🙇🙇
Ohoh~ Riley would be teaching you such kind of intimacy in the future Ilya. Stay safe. I could only imagine Riley’s anxiety, worry and heart drop over this incident.
Damn those demons who kidnapped Ilya (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻
The couple could’ve been exploring a whole new world rather than dealing with a stressful kidnapping.
Thanks for the update 💕
Thanks for the chapter
Oh…oh dear.
Thank you for the chapter ❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks for the chapter ❤️(๑′ᴗ‵ ๑)