Chapter 311 – Dogs and Cats (6)

In that fleeting moment when the spell of submission dissipated, Marronnier released her final emotion.

“I like you.”

The ultimate emotion.
In other words, words that could no longer be heard.

“……”

She transformed.

Accompanied by a short, crystalline tone, her gaze gradually softened.
The ephemeral emotions, such as love, were cast away like sea foam drifting into the air.
Once the sweetness of the wine that had filled her mouth dissipated, all that remained was its distinct bitterness.

Marronnier loosened her arm that had encircled my neck.
Her face, having relinquished the emotion of love, appeared relieved, as if she had shaken off her worries. However, a trace of sadness still lingered.

From now on, she would show her true, unbound self.
Naturally, her love for me no longer existed.

Tears on her chin fell to the floor. The droplets that touched the floor went *plink, plink*, spreading out in a circle and forming a pattern.

Simultaneously, her face hardened.

“Ah.”

It was over.

“…Sorry, I must be out of sorts. Look at my state of mind.”

Babbling, Marronnier hastily stood up from her seat. An empty wine glass lay abandoned. We stood in silence, awkwardly not speaking to each other.

“…It’s resolved.”

Marronnier murmured slowly. As for her emotions right now, I couldn’t tell.

Her gaze fell emptily, as if she had forgotten something. Overwhelmed by sadness, she placed a hand on her chest and squeezed the area around her heart.

“…It’s incredibly suffocating.”

I picked up the wine bottle.

“Do you want a drink?”

Marronnier shook her head.

“…No. Right now, I just want to take a nap.”

Suddenly, Blanche rose from her seat. She gazed at me and wiped away another tear.
I had seen that expression before.
It was the look Marronnier always wore when doubting her own identity. Perhaps she was still grappling with the dissonance between her past and present selves.
But, as time heals all wounds, she would eventually return to her former state.

By then, she would have long since sorted through her feelings for me.

“I’ll go in first.”

With those words, Marronnier left. Now, I was the only one remaining.
Perhaps due to the alcohol, my emotions were laid bare. I roughly lifted the wine bottle and filled my glass.
A bit overflowed, dampening the floor, but I didn’t care. I would clean it up later anyway.

Drinking alone. Lately, I couldn’t even do this properly.
Somehow, this had become a rather pleasant spot for me.

I raised the glass and drank deeply. Despite the potent aroma causing a cough, I steeled myself and persevered in drinking.

– Thump.

I set the glass down.
Feeling tipsy.

With this, the issue with Marronnier has been somewhat settled. I can’t be sure if things will take a twisted turn, but wasn’t I aware that this could happen?
I knew the power of my ability.
At this rate, I don’t think I need to meet the hornbeam, the one I have subjugated.
Once subjugated, one can never oppose me. On the contrary, they will act in a way that benefits me.

– Glug, glug, glug.

I pour more wine.
I down three glasses in quick succession without a pause.

A Hunter’s body is not fuel-efficient. Even after having absorbed all the mana, it takes an excruciatingly long time to fully commit to inebriation.

Did the sage foresee this outcome and prepare this place accordingly?

“Damn, that would be truly chilling.”

Under the influence, my thoughts and words spill out unfiltered.
Am I overly suspicious of the sage?

Surprisingly, she has quite an innocent side to her. It’s often said that people who’ve lived a long time become well-acquainted with loneliness. Perhaps she’d be delighted to catch a whiff of human life in Eden after such a long time. She may have offered various pieces of advice.

‘Now that I think about it, Zodiac didn’t seem to harbor any ill will towards the sage.’

Most of the conversation about their mentor was filled with praise. It was all about how amazing, incredibly amazing, and even royally amazing they were. At any rate, that was the impression. They decided to view this gathering as an act of goodwill from the sage.

Although things had become chaotic, the outcome wasn’t all that bad when considering the results alone. Since that time, Cornus and Zodiac hardly exchanged a word, but they did manage to share a few. Matters with Marronnier were tidied up neatly. If this was the sage’s intention, then they were spot on – everything went according to her plan.

At the very least, during the forest guardian selection process, they should be able to maintain a civil relationship with one another.

“Enough, let’s drink.”

For now, all they wanted was to drink, without any further thought.

Lately, I had too many people around me, so today I enjoyed being alone. My hands, which always trembled, seemed to know my heart, and today they were steady.

*Gulp.*

An hour passed like that.

Then two hours.

I stared at the light, emptying my mind as if hitting a bruise, and took a long sip of alcohol. I didn’t need any snacks. Three hours. It was fine on its own. My chaotic thoughts wandered aimlessly, and my memories were abruptly torn into various branches.

The floor seemed to rise, and the surrounding objects appeared to swirl, as if I were watching a 3D movie. I couldn’t distinguish between near and far, and I felt on the verge of losing my grip on reality with just a bit more to drink.

“Siheon?”

A sage’s voice reached my ears.

“Are you still drinking alone?”

“…Did you come?”

I sipped my drink and replied without looking back. The sage sat down in front of me and tilted their head. I couldn’t see very well, but it was probably a smiling face.

“What about the others?”

“They’re all gone, all of them. Are you here to join me?”

“Targeting me, are you?”
“Ever since I arrived in Eden, strangely, I feel we’ve grown distant. I don’t know how to put it… Forget it. It’s just the result of my own actions.”

Now I’m the one babbling.

The sage gazed at me calmly. He produced a glass from somewhere unknown and promptly filled it with wine.

“It sounds like you’re asking me to be your drinking buddy, am I wrong?”

What is he on about?
I was puzzled, but what the heck.

Nothing matters now.
I shrugged.

“You said you don’t handle alcohol well?”
“One glass won’t hurt. If I sip and savor it, it’ll last me two hours.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“It’s my unique way of enjoying wine.”

I poured myself some wine and drank it. Even the simple act of transferring wine from the bottle to the glass had become bothersome.
I would have preferred to drink straight from the bottle, but I refrained due to watchful eyes.

“You seem to have a lot of concerns about human relationships.”

The sage’s words sounded somehow enticing.
I unwittingly nodded in agreement.

“There has to be a lot. Damn it.”

For now, we’ve moved past it, but who knows when something like this might happen again? It’s not just Sansuyu; everyone feels the same.

The sage rested his chin on both hands and gazed at me endearingly.

“Do you want to talk to me about it?”

Today, this noble figure looked especially beautiful, reminiscent of an aristocratic lady. When intoxicated, every woman appears more attractive. Even a female friend who typically acted as if she wanted me dead would seem prettier under the influence. These random thoughts crossed my mind.

“Oddly enough, it seems like everyone becomes unhappy when they’re near me.”

Half-jokingly, I continued, borrowing confidence from the alcohol.

“To the point where I genuinely think it might be better if I were dead.”

I wondered how things would be if I hadn’t come to this world; perhaps everyone could have lived more comfortably.

Byul claims that I’ve encouraged and supported those around me, but have I ever truly felt that way? Nearly everything I receive from women is one-sided.

I lack the confidence to do anything for them.

Because I have nothing.

That’s the harsh reality.

“I do my best to pretend. To act as if I can solve everything and have the potential to do so. To take responsibility for it all. Just trust me for now. I’ll handle it.”
“You’re a good person.”
“It’s just words, though. Only words. There are so many expectations, and betraying them is something I can’t bear to do. There are many people I care for… and so many duties and obligations.”

I must be strong.
When I see Jung Si-woo, I sense something.
Watching him, I truly feel he’s the protagonist brought forth by these times.
He’s always been noble and knows how to serve others. Even if others are cursed, he remains untainted.

But me?
I’m riddled with mistakes.

My essence is cloudy, tinged with gray, and sometimes I accrue debts that even harsh penance can’t absolve.
Just the day before, I had killed many priests and pillaged trees.

Only by doing so can I gather the scarce information currently available. In other words, many have been killed for that reason.

Due to these numerous factors, I can’t help but wonder if I’m receiving too much attention compared to my actual worth.

However, looking at it objectively, that’s not the case. I am a dangerous individual, more perilous than anyone else, and treated as a potential monster born from the world’s overlapping coincidences. What I possess is a small vessel, but it’s said to contain far too much.

After saying this, from the next day on, I could casually kill someone if I wanted. Despite that, I have no intention of stopping.

“…I see. Even you, Si-heon, with such immense power, have many concerns.”
“Immense power, my ass. So, did you give me alcohol to ask me about this after getting me drunk?”
“Fu-hu-hu, somehow it ended up looking that way, didn’t it?”

It’s undoubtedly a calculated move. The timing was impeccable.

How could you know I’m craving alcohol and bring it tonight?
I had no choice but to give in.

“Are you actually monitoring our every move?”
“I don’t. I swear to the World Tree.”
“…”

The sage seemed to enjoy the moment, taking consecutive sips from his cup.
Each sip was very light, just enough to moisten his throat.
His fair skin quickly turned red, perhaps proving he truly had a low tolerance for alcohol.

“Why is someone with so much magical power weak when it comes to alcohol?”

Whether it was precious or not, there was no turning back now that I was intoxicated.
The sage laughed at my question.

“It’s my constitution. Sometimes, no matter how much mana one possesses, there are people who get drunk easily due to their physical structure.”
“…Ah, I see.”

Was White Peach like that too?
I recall a noble who would be swayed after just two cans of the wooden tok tok beverage.

“Do you enjoy drinking?”
“I didn’t know before, but now I’m obsessed. What about you, Sage?”
“Why else would I have this wine?”

It seems he likes it as well.

The sage continued, gently sweeping the tip of the wine glass with his index finger.

“I don’t enjoy drinking alone; I prefer sharing drinks with others.”
“Then let’s drink together. Why did you say you wouldn’t join us?”
“If I were there… The three of you wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation, would you? It seems like the three of you have grown a bit distant. I made some space. My presence would only blur the purpose.”

That made sense.

“Well… Now that I think about it, my intentions were misinterpreted as impure. I should have just joined you for a drink.”

Rather than a misunderstanding, I felt disheartened and unfairly blamed myself.
I know all too well that my failures have led to the current situation.
I will try to change, but how long will it take?
Feeling overwhelmed and distant, I just want to take a break for a while.

“Then, let’s not overthink it and enjoy our drinks tonight.”

The sage refilled the wine and extended his glass.
This was our third toast.

“But you mentioned you don’t handle alcohol well. Are you okay having a second glass?”

“Well, somehow it’ll work out. Please, treat me as an equal today.”
“What’s your name?”
“… I told you, I don’t have one.”

My grip on reality is tenuous.
Just a few more drinks and I’ll be out cold.

Yet, I couldn’t help but raise my glass.
For now, I longed to be submerged in this dreamlike sensation.
The captivating voice of the woman in white was more than enough to accompany a single drink.

* * * * * * * *

The woman’s flesh clings to my body.
Soft skin, as if I’m touching it for the very first time. As my fingers sink in and trace the contours, her faint moans reach my ears.

Her body’s scent envelops my face, and her hands encircle my neck.
Her hair wraps around me, binding me.

The damp teddy bear undergarments drape over my body, as if they were spoils of conquest.

Awakening from my slumber, I found myself compelled to earnestly reevaluate the events of last night.

“…Damn it.”

Lee Si-heon, you bastard.
You’ve gone and done it once more.
Gazing upon the nude woman lying on the bed, fast asleep, I grasped my head in frustration.

Alcohol was the enemy.

“Absolutely screwed.”