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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.
When I woke up this morning, the memories of last night came flooding back.
I was an idiot. No matter how I looked at it, I was a complete and utter idiot.
I had always considered myself a decent person. I hadn’t caused any major trouble in school or in the military.
Aside from jaywalking, I had never broken any laws.
But last night…
Last night’s events weighed heavily on my conscience. The guilt was overwhelming.
‘You idiot! How could you just… do that?’
At first, I had been fighting the effects of the drug, desperately trying to stay conscious. But then, it had become bearable. I had been able to maintain a semblance of control.
My intermediate Poison Resistance skill had been working hard to neutralize the toxins.
The skill had eliminated the negative effects – nausea, dizziness, fever – leaving behind only the positive effects: increased focus, enhanced stamina, and heightened libido.
And yet, I had succumbed to Sepia’s seduction. Or rather, because of the heightened libido, I had succumbed. And then I had taken the lead.
The lingering positive effects had been intoxicating.
Thump! Thump!
I woke up and immediately banged my head against the bathroom wall as I showered. I could still feel the warmth of Sepia’s body against mine.
I could have refused. I had been conscious enough. I should have refused.
I should have told her I was fine.
A deep sigh escaped my lips.
What kind of drug was that?
After taking it, I had felt a surge of violent urges. I had hurt myself to suppress those urges.
I thought about Sepia.
When I woke up, she was sleeping soundly beside me, clutching a teddy bear, dressed in her polka-dot pajamas. She looked innocent and pure, like a newborn baby.
Honestly, she was cute. Very cute.
She didn’t wake up, even after I finished showering. She looked like an angel while she slept.
“Why are you so cute…? You look like an angel.”
She was adorable when she was asleep. The problem was, she was also incredibly possessive and easily irritated.
I left her sleeping and went outside.
I wondered what had happened between Arthur and Vivian.
Had anything happened at all?
I walked over to their room. The door was slightly ajar. I could see them sleeping hand-in-hand. They were still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.
I wasn’t peeking. I just… saw them. I wasn’t a voyeur.
Had they really just held hands?
I suddenly felt inadequate.
Arthur was a good person.
I knocked on the door.
Vivian, a light sleeper, woke up.
She saw Arthur and reacted calmly, as if nothing had happened.
“Who… who is it? Sepia? Oh, Ethan?”
“It’s me, Vivian. Ethan.”
“Oh… yes, Ethan. Come in.”
Vivian sat up. Arthur also woke up, startled.
“Ethan…? Oh, Vivian.”
“Good morning… haha.”
I forced a laugh. What else could I do? I turned and walked away.
“Ethan, wait! It’s a misunderstanding! I’ll come with you.”
Arthur grabbed his clothes and hurried after me.
We stood on the beach, the morning sun glinting off the deep blue sea that stretched out to the horizon beneath the clear summer sky.
I picked up a pebble and tossed it into the distance.
Both Arthur and I looked gloomy.
“Ethan, I have to tell you… it’s a misunderstanding…”
“Just tell me.”
“Nothing happened between Vivian and me. Last night…”
Vivian had grabbed his hand as he was about to leave her room, begging him to stay.
He had sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand, taking care of her…
“And then you just fell asleep holding hands?”
“I swear! She was holding my hand so tightly that I couldn’t pull away. I didn’t want to wake her, so I closed my eyes for a moment, and…”
“I believe you… You’re…”
A true national treasure, Arthur Pendragon.
If Arthur said so, it must be true.
I checked my communication crystal. There were several messages from Arthur.
―Ethan, come and rescue me!
―Don’t tell me you forgot about me? You’re not just sleeping, are you? (T-T)
―This is torture!
I felt even worse now. Wasn’t I the abnormal one, and Arthur the ridiculously kind one?
If he asked me what had happened with Sepia, I would have jumped into the sea.
Thankfully, he didn’t ask.
“I think… Vivian was drugged.”
“Drugged? She did seem unwell…”
“Who would drug her…?”
“Let’s ask Sepia when she wakes up.”
I picked up another pebble and threw it, imbuing it with mana. It skipped across the water seventeen times.
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Sepia woke up and saw Ethan sleeping beside her.
Her heart skipped a beat.
‘Dangerous… for my heart…’
She blushed and closed her eyes again. She pretended to be asleep even when he woke up and went to take a shower.
She could hear him banging his head against the bathroom wall.
‘Why are you so cute…? You’re like an angel…’
Sepia couldn’t bring herself to wake up. After he left, she kicked her blankets excitedly. The memories of last night, and the words she had just overheard, replayed in her mind.
“Ah! I’m crazy, crazy, crazy! I’m so happy! So happy! So happy!”
She had known that Ethan liked her, but hearing him say it out loud made her heart flutter.
“What am I going to do…?”
Sepia hugged her teddy bear and stared at the ceiling, a blissful smile on her face. Vivian’s words had been right.
“My lady, are you awake?”
Vivian’s voice made Sepia open her eyes. Vivian looked the same as always.
“Good morning, my lady.”
“Good morning, Vivian…”
“I apologize for my behavior last night.”
“It’s okay. It was the drug.”
Sepia believed it was the free beer that had caused it. They went downstairs and questioned the innkeeper. He looked surprised and denied everything.
“I would never do such a thing! I would never tamper with the food!”
The innkeeper knelt on the floor, trembling. They also questioned the waiter who had served them the beer, but he also claimed to know nothing.
“What should we do, my lady?”
Vivian drew her sword, waiting for Sepia’s instructions. Making someone disappear was easy. They could just dump the bodies in the sea.
“Vivian… do you remember the guys who harassed us yesterday?”
“Of course.”
“Find them. And if they’re not here, contact me immediately.”
Vivian bowed and left. She soon returned with the two thugs. They were both bleeding profusely from their lower bodies.
The three men were brought to the storage room and forced to kneel.
“Confess your crimes.”
The blond thug confessed everything, his face ashen. It turned out that the innkeeper was innocent.
“Innkeeper, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”
“It’s alright, my lady! It was a natural mistake.”
Sepia gave the innkeeper a generous sum of money as compensation.
“Could we borrow your storage room for a bit longer?”
“Of course, my lady. Those bastards deserve to be thrown into the sea.”
They were alone in the storage room. The two thugs, their lower bodies mangled, looked like they had lost all hope.
“What kind of drug did you use on us?”
“It was an aphrodisiac made from a mixture of mandrake honey and poppy sap.”
The blond thug answered obediently.
“Why are you… like that?”
The two thugs explained what had happened. Vivian retrieved the pills from their pockets and handed them to Sepia.
It seemed like they had already been punished. But that was personal revenge from the knights who had pursued them. It wasn’t a legal punishment.
“Vivian, take them to the city guard.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Vivian took the thugs away. It was almost noon.
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‘Ugh… so embarrassing.’
Sepia’s cheeks flushed as she recalled last night’s events. Ethan and Arthur were sitting on the beach, looking gloomy.
“What are you two doing here?”
Sepia approached them, clearing her throat. Ethan and Arthur avoided her gaze. So did Sepia.
“Um… so… Ethan, and Arthur, about last night…”
Sepia was the first to speak.
She remembered what had happened, and her face burned. But she had to tell them. Sepia explained what had happened last night, and what she had done this morning.
They had a right to know.
“That’s what happened.”
Sepia showed them the pills as proof.
“It’s a drug made from mandrake honey and poppy sap… It has aphrodisiac properties, but it also has serious side effects, like increased aggression. It’s illegal.”
“Ah… I see…”
Arthur had never taken drugs, not even indirectly. He hadn’t even had a sip of water or beer at the inn.
“Want to try some?”
“N-no. But if it’s illegal, you shouldn’t have it, right?”
“You’re right.”
Sepia threw the pills into the sea. She had used her mana, so they flew far out into the distance.
‘Wait… what if the fish eat it and go crazy?’
Arthur watched the pills disappear beneath the waves. Vivian joined them.
“So, what happened last night… wasn’t our fault.”
Arthur nodded vigorously.
“Let’s just forget about it.”
“I agree. I’m also embarrassed by my behavior. I apologize, Arthur and Ethan.”
Vivian added, supporting Sepia’s suggestion.
“I need to talk to Ethan alone. Arthur, why don’t you go talk to Vivian?”
“Huh…?”
Arthur grinned.
“I think that’s an excellent idea. Arthur, would you come with me?”
Vivian led Arthur away. Sepia glanced at Ethan nervously.
“Ethan… shall we… go for a walk?”
Sepia fidgeted, her face flushed as she remembered last night. The city was bustling with activity as the festival began.
Stalls lined the streets, and the aroma of grilled skewers filled the air.
“Ethan… don’t worry about what happened last night.”
“…Okay.”
“We were both… not ourselves.”
Sepia’s words trailed off. There were more awkward silences between them than usual.
“…And… thank you.”
I didn’t know what to say. Sepia, flustered, was walking ahead when she suddenly stopped and her eyes widened.
“Ethan, wait here for a second.”
She hurried off and returned with two skewers.
“You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Here.”
She handed me a skewer of roasted boar meat with herbs. It was the same recipe Anya had used on Arvis Island.
It was a dish she had been wanting to share with me. I looked at the skewer, then at Sepia, the savory brown sauce glistening in the sunlight.
“Um… thanks.”
“Try it.”
Sepia smiled and walked beside me.
“How is it? Is it good?”
“Yeah, it’s delicious.”
“I’m glad.”
Sepia glanced at me, her face slightly red. She nodded to herself.
‘Ethan, I want to marry you.’
She imagined waking up next to him every morning.
‘I’ll wait for you to confess.’
I looked down at Sepia. She looked incredibly cute today.
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That was cute.