Chapter 48 : Sleeping Together

“You mean… this lump of charcoal is roasted chicken?”
Schiller stared thoughtfully at the inexplicably blackened pheasant. He poked the charcoal with his finger, and the smell of burnt food entered his nose.

“Wh-what charcoal! How rude!”

Ophelia dodged his gaze and turned her head to the side, her face flushed under the firelight.

“Opheliel… you… can’t cook, can you?”

“Ugh!”

As if struck a sore spot, Ophelia clutched her chest and looked at him with a resentful expression without saying a word.

“N-no, I can’t! Are you going to eat it or not!”

She lifted her flushed face. She had indeed discovered that she was surprisingly lacking in talent for cooking. It was one thing to eat it herself, but she felt a bit shy giving it to someone else.

“…”

“This is roasted chicken, this is roasted chicken, this is roasted chicken!”

Schiller didn’t say a word. He had already hypnotized himself in his mind and devoured the charcoal in a few bites.

“Ah! I… I haven’t eaten yet…”

Ophelia touched her somewhat empty stomach, but still showed a shy expression. She hadn’t expected him to finish her “masterpiece.”

Although it wasn’t well made, it was a dish she had made with her own hands.

“H-how is it?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

A sweet and sour aroma spread in the air. She looked at Schiller’s satisfied face and felt that her efforts had not been in vain.

“So, let’s talk about ‘your’ memory?”

…And so on.

…And so forth.

When the two of them finished talking, the sun had gradually set, and the sky had turned a dusky yellow.

“Opheliel… you… waaah!”

Schiller wiped away non-existent tears.

All alone, with amnesia, and forced into a vortex of a love triangle—

The spider and the maid in the second half of the story made him feel strangely concerned. He wondered why.

“Schiller! You! Waaah!”

Ophelia’s eyes really turned red. She wiped away the surging tears with the back of her hand.

“You mean… you were beaten to your knees by a noble named Sheryl, and then taken to a basement and forced to work?”

“Yes… it was such cruel work that even a bull would die of exhaustion.”

“How could such a thing happen!” She clenched her small fists and raised her eyebrows in anger, standing up for Schiller.

For some reason, Ophelia had become very innocent. Her already stunning face, combined with that innocence, became a force that could drive all men crazy.

That innocent look was strangely heart-fluttering.

After confirming that Ophelia had amnesia, he immediately decided to “deceive” her. For some reason, Ophelia seemed to think that he was her boyfriend. So he told Ophelia that her job was to be the shop’s poster girl, and he was the shop owner. They ran a potion shop in the underground street of Cernost. Originally, their happy life should have continued forever…

Until that day, Ophelia suddenly disappeared, and he had been on a journey to find her ever since—

Along the way, he met a witch named Irena—of course, that was not true.

‘What a scumbag! This is a white lie. It’s better to keep Ophelia as she is now than to let her regain her memory and become a villain.’

‘Everyone likes a good ending, and he will get it with his own hands!’

“It’s… alright now.”

Ophelia held Schiller’s hand tightly and moved her body very close. The faint scent of roses invaded his nostrils, making his brain tingle.

“That Sheryl, she must be a bad woman!” Ophelia’s voice switched between anger and gentleness.

“Is-is that so?” Schiller felt a little guilty.

“Honestly, you’re the victim, why are you still speaking up for her?” Ophelia poked his side. She felt that Schiller was too gentle, not even thinking of the person who had “hurt” him as a bad person.

“Ah, could it be that you like…” Ophelia saw his expression as if he had eaten a bitter melon and couldn’t help but imagine, could it be that Schiller, while being imprisoned by Sheryl… had developed feelings over time?

“I, I am devoted to Opheliel!” To deceive others, one must first deceive oneself.

It is said that Christians cross their index finger over their middle finger when they ask for forgiveness, but he knew well that his sins would not be forgiven.

“Yah! Honestly, how much do you like me…” Ophelia pulled her hand back, trying to cover her blushing face. She found that Schiller had an inexplicable talent for pleasing girls. He always managed to say things that made girls shy at the most crucial moments.

Schiller felt that Ophelia was exuding a maternal glow. She was like the Virgin Mary reincarnated, emitting a holy light. And that light, as long as it shone on him, would make him turn to dust like killing an evil spirit.

After the two of them had taken a bath in separate wooden tubs, Ophelia used [Cleanse] on their clothes.

What a convenient magic.

“By the way, how are we going to sleep tonight?” Schiller looked at Ophelia, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, at a loss for words. She seemed to be hesitating on how to speak.

“Anyway, there’s no one in this village. I’ll just find another house…”

“No!” Ophelia interrupted Schiller in a high voice. She stood up and desperately pressed against the door.

“Could this be… that plot?” Late at night, two people, alone.

“Not good, I have to run away quickly…” Schiller felt a tightness in his lower body. He had a bad feeling. He really wanted to escape!

Ophelia didn’t notice Schiller’s strange expression and explained:

“Well, well, isn’t it inconvenient to sleep separately? It would be troublesome if an enemy came, right? Yes, yes, it would be troublesome, wouldn’t it…”

“But there’s no one in this wilderness…”

“On the bed! We’ll sleep together!” She turned around and firmly bolted the door, making an expression as if she would rather die than let him pass.

“Opheliel… you…”

“What’s wrong?” Her voice trembled slightly. Her slightly damp hair shone under the dim yellow light, and her alluring collarbone declared its existence to Schiller.

“Are you afraid of ghosts?” Schiller had some idea about this. In his previous life, his younger sister would occasionally run to his room at home. After careful questioning, he found out that she was scared to sleep after watching a horror movie.

‘My sister at that time was so cute.’ He carefully recalled the faces of his family, but found the memories blurry, and he couldn’t see the whole picture. Unfortunately, memory is a road with no return. All the springs of the past cannot be restored.

“What! Why did you have to say it out loud! You, you flirt, you idiot! Big idiot!” Ophelia turned her head away in a huff.

“Sorry, sorry… I understand, we’ll just sleep together.”

Ophelia quickly walked back to the bed. She wasn’t that angry, just a little shy. Admitting that she was afraid of ghosts in front of Schiller was a bit embarrassing for a girl’s heart.

“Come here.” She smiled happily, patting the bed next to her. “Hurry up~”

“Oh… oh…”

He sat on the edge of the bed. Since it was not an atmosphere to refuse, he decided to take it one step at a time.

“Hey! Hey!” Ophelia suddenly pushed him down on the bed with force, then—she lay down beside him with sparkling eyes, her golden pupils gently looking at him. The two of them were lying on their sides, looking at each other.

“Hey! Let’s chat… I’ve actually been looking forward to this for a long, long time!”

“Looking forward to what?” Schiller was a bit dumbfounded, but Ophelia’s innocence was a great help.

“Bedtime chat! Hehe, Schiller, honestly, what else can a boy and a girl do when they sleep together?”

“Waaah, Sheryl, I really want to tell Sheryl that!”

“Achoo!”

Far away—not so far away, Sheryl anxiously sneezed.