Chapter 165. The Test

Our relationship was becoming more intimate.

I was overcome by the feeling that the distance between Johann and me was closing by one layer. Not the physical distance, but the distance in our hearts.

The air was gently rippling. A gaze that could melt you just by looking at it. Hot breath tickling my cheek.

The boundary of who was giving these sensations to whom was blurred.

“…How can I suddenly call you by name?”

“You’ve done it occasionally before.”

Johann replied with a slightly playful voice. Feeling guilty, I slightly turned my head to avoid his gaze.

Then, long, firm fingers came and grasped my chin. After easily turning my head back to its original position, he looked deeply into my eyes and said,

“I don’t want to be an emperor to you.”

“……”

My heart was pounding too much.

I like Johann, but I’ve never been completely free from the anxiety of our status difference. But now, when we’re alone with no one watching, it felt like the pyramid of status created by the world had disappeared.

Just the person I like.

And the person who likes me.

That was all.

As if enchanted, I tried pronouncing his name.

“Jo… hann…”

Even though I’ve said this name thousands of times in my mind, and it’s even slipped out of my mouth a few times when talking to myself…

I don’t know why it feels as unfamiliar as pronouncing a word I’ve just learned.

“That’s right.”

Johann’s eyes curved deeply with satisfaction.

Was he always this sweet?

That short word wrapped sweetly around my ears, and his eyes, filled with laughter, were seducing me.

Such a fox…

I cupped his face with both hands and stood on my tiptoes. Our lips met.

Johann stiffened slightly as if surprised, then immediately wrapped his arm around my neck and tilted his head even deeper.

When he made me open my lips, I followed. When he pushed his tongue in, I accepted it.

I was out of breath.

I felt dizzy.

Am I really alive in this world? Am I not flying off to another world because it’s too ecstatic?

Everything surrounding us disappeared, and I could only feel Johann.

Even at this point, I didn’t know. That this was just the tip of the iceberg. That after arriving in Elmon, an unimaginable world was waiting. That it would be a series of days where I truly learn what it means to only feel Johann’s existence.

“Haa.”

Our lips parted for a moment.

In that interval, I exhaled a heavy breath.

I didn’t notice when we were just lightly kissing, but when his tongue entered deeply, it wasn’t easy to breathe. Without realizing it, I had been holding my breath and then gasping for air once in a while.

Compared to my clumsiness in everything from start to finish, Johann seemed so composed.

Overcome by a desire to act coy, I shot him a playful glare. I still hadn’t received an answer to my earlier question.

“How are you so good at kissing?”

“Are you curious?”

Looking at the man smiling mischievously, I pressed my lips into a straight line. It was already an embarrassing question that I had mustered up the courage to ask, but receiving such a response made me feel the blood rushing to my face in shame.

My face probably already looks as red as a tomato.

It’s about to burst.

But having come this far, I couldn’t back down from the question. I stared persistently at Johann and nodded once.

Finding something amusing, he let out a small laugh.

“I’m just following my instincts.”

“That’s a lie.”

“What kind of answer were you expecting?”

“Haven’t you practiced?”

“What? Practice?”

Johann’s expression turned surprised at the unexpected words, then he soon started laughing uproariously as if he had heard the funniest thing in the world.

“Hahaha. You really are… so unpredictable.”

“…There’s no way this is your first time.”

Being this good.

Plus, he’s skilled, doesn’t seem out of breath while kissing, and isn’t even nervous.

The words I wanted to say rose to my throat, but I suppressed them. If I opened my mouth any further, I felt I would just provide more amusement for Johann.

“Haha…”

After laughing to his heart’s content, he looked at me while trying to calm down.

It seemed like he was trying hard to regain a serious atmosphere, but it was already too late. This man… I can see the faint smile still remaining at the corners of your lips, you know?

I wanted to be very upset.

I wanted to sulk fiercely.

But with Johann’s next words, I couldn’t overcome my curiosity and ended up engaging in the conversation with a serious attitude.

“So you think I had women in the past?”

“Well, being an emperor, wouldn’t the chances of not having any be even smaller?”

“Me, who’s been roaming battlefields since I was fourteen?”

“You went to war from such a young age? Weren’t you the crown prince?”

His gaze briefly turned to the side as though he was touring the past.

Those blue eyes deepened.

I loved those eyes tinged with pain.

Will I ever be able to fully share all the deep and varied emotions he holds?

As I was sinking into sentimental thoughts, Johann looked back at me and opened his mouth.

“I saw even younger children fighting out there.”

“…Really?”

“It was a time when there were many boy and girl mercenaries.”

“……”

Well, that’s true.

I also worked as a healer mercenary from a young age.

Though I was mostly just clinging on and wasting money.

“Before I knew it, I’ve reached this age.”

Johann continued with a smug smile.

“Busy rebuilding the empire, running forward with my eyes only on the goal, I found myself without a single woman in my life. Me, an emperor.”

“…I like that.”

“Have I passed the test?”

“Well.”

I turned my gaze away, feigning indifference, and scratched my cheek with my index finger.

He passed.

Yes, he definitely passed.

If he had said there were women in his past, I might have secretly tried to find out who they were. Some might say why dwell on things long past… but you could run into them in life, right?

It would be a hundred times better to know who they were than to ignorantly become friendly with them like a fool and cause trouble.

Anyway, it was fortunate that there weren’t any.

I felt a little elated.

“There weren’t any in the dream either.”

He was talking about Aveline.

Johann was driving the point home in many ways.

Yes, yes.

What’s the point of arguing further here?

I became generous because I was in a good mood.

“That’s right. There weren’t any.”

Did my answer not sound serious enough?

Johann’s expression crumpled slightly as if something didn’t sit well with him.

However, he didn’t seem inclined to discuss Aveline excessively at this moment. And I felt the same way.

I didn’t want anything to exist between us.

“Mmm…”

Johann’s lips overlapped with mine.

I closed my eyes, fully accepting the man coming in with his profound scent.

* * *

In the Granz Empire, the island of Elmon.

After finishing the arduous expedition, we returned safely.

And having defeated a tremendous villain, I was overcome with a newfound sense of emotion.

The people on the streets we saw passing through the city gates, the scenery of the imperial palace, and even the luxurious ceiling of the reception room I’m looking up at now…

“It’s peaceful.”

It really was.

Everything was the same.

As if unaware of the fierce battle with the bone dragon, this place was maintaining its peaceful daily life.

That’s not to say people were completely ignorant of what happened in the Grodes Mountains.

Ionia was handling more than I expected, one of which was providing information to the press.

Based on the latest information received from Hilton Castle, she alerted the world to the danger. Looking at the dates, it seemed a bit slow though.

“Hilton is quite far away, after all.”

I sighed and put the newspaper down on the table.

There were newspapers from several dates piled up, and the fact that we defeated the bone dragon was published a week ago.

“So it takes just 7 days to adapt to peace.”

When the news that the bone dragon had awakened was first published, the atmosphere must have been ominous. And when it became known that we defeated it, people probably said “As expected of the heroes!” and returned to their daily lives.

By the way, when is Ionia coming?

According to Johann, Ionia would have something to say to me. And I was quietly waiting to fit into the busy chancellor’s schedule.

Anyway, what kind of conversation will it be?

It’s probably related to Johann, right?

I thought again about what it means to become the emperor’s official partner.

Hmm.

But why do the events that happened on the way here keep popping up hazily in my mind?

It’s a different day.

A different inn.

On this day too, Johann came to kiss me in a room where we were alone. Lately, I’ve been experiencing symptoms where that dreamy voice from that day keeps ringing in my ears day and night.

<I’m going crazy, I can’t think straight.>

Then his hand came to my waist, and at that time, I jumped like a fish leaping out of water, too surprised.

<…Don’t you like it?>

<No, it’s just… Let’s take it slow.>

<……>

At my shouted words, Johann just stared at me quietly. Slowly looking at my lips, then my eyes, then back to my lips… as his gaze went lower, I blushed.

At that time, Johann smiled at me, who must have been as red as a ripe tomato, and said,

And the next morning, Jesuf’s expression when he looked at me was strange. There were a few other knights like that besides Jesuf.

It seems my cry had leaked through the gap in the door. Waaah.

I’m too embarrassed to live now.

No one said anything in particular, but I could read a lot in their eyes.

Thanks to that, the journey to Elmon felt long and endless.

Anyway.

It was time to return to reality.

Click.

At the sound of the door opening, I snapped out of my reverie and looked up. Ionia was just entering the reception room.