Volume 4 Chapter 122: Love Bottle

My head and body were overwhelmed by a sweet, numbing pleasure.
An indescribable ecstasy surged from the crown of my head to my toes, rendering my thoughts scattered and incoherent. I couldn’t move a muscle, lost in that forbidden bliss. I even noticed drool trickling from my agape mouth like a fool—but I couldn’t even bring myself to wipe it away.

Before long, Noel—who had been draped over me, sucking blood from my neck—slowly withdrew her mouth with a hint of reluctance. The pleasure that had commanded my body abruptly ceased, replaced by a crushing sense of emptiness, and I found myself regretting that it was over.

Straddling me as I lay on the bed, Noel seemed to peer right into my heart, her expression as if to ask, “What do you want me to do?” Her face, lit by the bedside lamp, looked irresistibly alluring and radiant, and I desperately swallowed the words I had nearly blurted out.

Noticing my pitiful expression, Noel gave a look of satisfaction before closing her eyes as if to rein in her impulse. She gently spat the blood she had held in her mouth into a large glass nearby. The glass was filled with my blood, accumulated from repeated acts like this.
After savoring the blood that dripped from the corner of her mouth with her red tongue, she stared for a moment, set the glass down, and turned to face me. Then she slowly leaned over and whispered in my ear,

“Do you want more?”

Her seductive, lascivious voice stirred my desire into a frenzy. My mind screamed for that same ecstasy.
The only resistance I could muster was to remain silent—if I spoke, I would surely beg her to continue sucking my blood.
Noel softly brought her mouth to my neck, trailing her tongue along it.
A shiver of anticipation ran through my body.

However――

“Ahaha… Noil, that’s enough. Going any further is dangerous, okay?”

She whispered playfully, lightly nibbling my neck before sitting up.
I knew I should feel relieved—indeed, I must. It would be utterly wrong to resent her for not sucking more of my blood. So, this is fine. I forced myself to suppress the disappointment and convince myself it was acceptable.

As I wrestled with my inner turmoil, Noel’s deep crimson dress—the “Crimson Bride: Blood Bride”—dissipated, and her appearance returned to her usual self. Gradually, her face began to flush red.

“………”
“………”

The enchanting atmosphere of moments before vanished, leaving us both in silence.
As we slowly regained our senses, an increasing awkwardness swelled between us. Before I knew it, my body felt so heavy I could barely move.

A terrible sense of exhaustion and fatigue overcame me, in stark contrast to the near-heavenly sensation from before. I’d lost a significant amount of blood and mana from my body.
I had planned for it to be only a small amount. But we lost all restraint, and before I knew it, we were indulging in the act of blood-sucking to the point that my condition deteriorated dramatically.

It was awkward. Extremely awkward.
How did it come to this? I should have stopped it, but the overwhelming pleasure left me utterly powerless. I want to die. I mean, I really want to die.

Even Noel, having dismissed the “Crimson Bride” persona, must have regained her normal composure—her face now flushed a deep red as she recalled her actions and was surely overcome with shame.
Still, the Noel who’d been sucking my blood… yeah, she was pretty amazing.

“Ah, ahaha… I’m sorry, I went too far.”
“No….”

I averted my gaze in sheer embarrassment at Noel’s sheepish, awkward smile.

◇

Ah, I’m short on blood. It’s obvious—I don’t have enough.
I stared up at the ceiling, where heart-shaped illumination stones were embedded, feeling disgusted with my own foolishness.
Noel aside, I—sober and clear-headed—had no excuse. I had simply succumbed to my desire.

But if I must justify it, I’d say that was simply impossible to resist. It wasn’t a matter of enduring or not enduring; it was like Sophie’s massage—an irresistible pleasure. I want to die.

“Haa…”
Was I really this emotionally weak? No—I was incredibly fragile. It was bound to happen.

At least now I won’t have to give blood to Noel for a while. In the end, it might be better than doing this repeatedly. If she continues to suck my blood over and over, I might eventually become unable to live without regular bloodletting. A dangerous kind of drug, perhaps?

I slowly moved my utterly limp body, turning my head to the side.
There was a two-seater sofa with a round table, and the large, fluffy bed where I now lay. The room—adorned with potted plants and antique-style furnishings—was every bit as luxurious as a high-end inn. The lighting, embedded in the walls, floor, and ceiling, cast a warm glow over everything. Heart motifs graced the carpet, sheets, lighting, sofa, and table, but they were subtle and never vulgar.

In that charming room, suffused with a gently sweet fragrance, Noel—also dressed in a bathrobe like me—sat on the sofa, transferring my blood from the glass into several slender bottles, mana bottles.
The containers used for mana bottles are excellent at preserving their contents. I don’t know when they were prepared, but the reason Noel had been spitting out my blood instead of swallowing it was so she could store it in these smaller portions.

Noticing my gaze, Noel smiled warmly.
“Is something wrong?”
“So, do you think it’ll last for a while?” I asked.
She pressed her index finger against her chin and looked upward, deep in thought.
“Hmm… I’m not sure. Its effect is weaker than direct contact… it might actually run out sooner than expected.”
“Ah, okay.”

I resolved to try to ensure that Noel wouldn’t have to ingest any more blood than necessary. For some reason, seeing her smile in that quirky way made me think that.
In other words, next time I’ll use another method to draw blood. If it’s just for storage, Noel doesn’t have to suck it herself.
Well, if Noel does suck it, it won’t leave any wounds—but the manager is always happy to fix any injuries. Although, perhaps it matters if she absorbs the mana along with it. Either way, I’d rather refrain for a while.

As Noel resumed her work, she continued the conversation.
“Why are you asking something like that?”

“Umm…”

“You didn’t hate it either, Noil, right?”

“It’s not that I hated it… it’s just that I do.”

The pleasure that comes with your bloodsucking is a kind of bliss I can’t find anywhere else. I don’t know why it has that effect, but it’s insanely addictive. It’s too dangerous. Someone as weak as me might eventually come to crave nothing but your bloodsucking. I’m already scraping the bottom of the barrel—I might even cease to be a worthless human being altogether.

“Hehe, Noil, you’re so honest.”

“There’s no point in beating around the bush…”

It’s utterly repulsive to even think, “please stop before it ruins you,” yet here I am, completely at your mercy, unable to move—a pathetic state that has long surpassed any conceivable limit. There’s no point in trying to cover it up now. Besides, I have no pride to begin with.

“Don’t worry. You went a bit overboard, but I got plenty out of it. If I can learn to endure drinking blood and control myself, I think I’ll eventually stop sucking blood impulsively.”

That means, conversely, that if I can’t control the ‘Crimson Bride,’ there’s always the chance I’ll impulsively start sucking blood again, isn’t that so?
Hey, won’t you stop using that Magis Gear already?

“Hey, won’t you stop using that Magis Gear already?”
My thoughts slipped out loud.

“No.”

“Ah, yes.”

That was an immediate response. After filling the last one with blood, you sealed it tightly and lifted it with both hands.

“Done! Love Bottle!”

“That’s strange.”

“Hehe.”

Not merely a “hehe”—you’re cute, but it’s not just a giggle.

At that moment, a light, tinkling bell echoed through the room. It must be the room service you ordered earlier. Apparently, you struggled with that pipe installed in the wall to order a meal for my anemic self.

I’m not entirely sure how it works, but according to you, if you insert a special case into the pipe, it will deliver the order directly to the front desk. It’s been set up so that one can avoid encountering or even talking to other people as much as possible. I’m even thinking—I might as well live here. My privacy is well protected.

“Okay!”

You replied as you walked toward the door, though I suppose no reply was really necessary.

You soon returned, pushing a food cart laden with dishes. You looked adorably embarrassed.

“They just left the food out. Now that I think about it, that makes sense—hehe.”

“I see.”

I responded with a cool smile. I wish you wouldn’t suddenly get all cute; it leaves me at a loss for how to react. Lately, your mood shifts are wild—as if you flip a switch. I wish you could just stay on the pure side.

“Wow, this is amazing! It looks so delicious, Noil!”

You wheeled the cart next to the bed, removed the silver lid—your little “cloche”—covering the plates, and your eyes sparkled.

There was a shiny liver steak, a stew apparently loaded with seafood, shellfish, and vegetables, a sautéed spinach dish, and what is most likely a cheese omelet. Also, neatly cut fruit adorned the cart.

“I only ordered things that help with anemia!”

Isn’t this inn amazing? And this inn that can deliver such things—I’m seriously considering living here.

You clasped your hands together in apparent delight and sat on the bed. First, you picked up the stew and a spoon—

“Alright, Noil, open wide—ahh!”

After you blew on it several times to cool it down, you naturally held out a spoonful of stew.

“No…”

“You can’t get up, can you?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then, open up—ahh!”

Smiling brightly, you brought the spoon of stew to my mouth. There was no point in resisting, so I obediently opened my mouth.

The rich stew, with its ingredients melding into a thick, hearty flavor, still had a certain refreshing quality—a strange taste, indeed.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t taste like ordinary stew.”

“Huh? Hmm… oh, maybe it’s soy milk?”

Sniffing the stew again, you nodded in understanding as if convinced. Apparently, your sense of smell is far superior to my tongue’s; though when I tasted it, I only noticed a slight difference.

“You really put some thought into it.”

“Yeah.”

“Then, next—”

I couldn’t quite tell what you had in mind, but judging by your smiling face, it must be something good for my anemia. You cheerfully began cutting up the liver with a knife and fork before bringing it to your mouth.

After chewing a few times—

“Noel?”

You moved your face closer to mine.

“Hmm?”

“What are you—?”

As you stopped so close that our noses nearly touched, I desperately averted my gaze and asked. You swallowed whatever was in your mouth and pulled away.

“Sharing food.”

“That’s strange.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah.”

“But isn’t it hard to eat while lying down?”

“I’m pretty good at eating in bed.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

Then let’s not do that, okay? Not that I’m particularly good at it—I only got good at it because of now. Really, please stop.

It’s not that I feel disgust; it’s just obviously odd. Noel, that’s just not right.

“Alright, I get it.”

Fortunately, you didn’t insist on the food-sharing thing. Smiling, you then used a fork properly to bring the liver to my mouth. With your unusually high energy helping me out, I continued my meal.

◇

“Okay, Noil—open wide, I’m going to brush your teeth now!”

“Okay!”

Today, you really are acting quite strange.

Half in a fit of reckless abandon, I opened my mouth. My body barely responded, and it was nearly impossible to stop you now.

“Scrub, scrub, scrub!”

You beamed as you brushed my teeth with a toothbrush, almost as if you were tending to a little child. What do I even mean to you, Noel?

“Alright, say ‘ahh’!”

“‘Ahh.'”

“Good, good!”

While you patted my head and brushed my teeth, I couldn’t help but wonder what on earth was happening. Who am I, really?

“Don’t drink it, okay?”

Yeah, I won’t drink it.

You slowly poured water from a glass into my mouth.

“Now, let’s go ‘smush-smush-smush, slurp’ into this little bowl.”

I turned my face sideways and, with a series of squelching sounds—smush, smush, slurp—I dipped my face into the small bowl you held.

“Well done!”

“Yay!”

When you patted my head, I felt surprisingly happy.

“Now, wait just a moment—I need to clean this up.”

“Okay.”

You walked off toward the washroom to put away the dental tools you’d been using.

I am Noil Arlens. Twenty years old. A proper adult.

While you were tidying up, I tried to pull myself together. Staring at the ceiling, I desperately told myself I wasn’t a child.

After a while, you returned from the washroom and turned off the lights in the room.

“Alright, let’s go to sleep together soon.”

“I am Noil Arlens. Twenty years old. A proper adult.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I am Noil Arlens. Twenty years old. Not exactly a proper adult.”

“That’s enough already.”

You laughed in a funny way and, without hesitation, crawled into bed beside me. At this point, I had no choice but to surrender.

As I felt your warm body close to mine and a flowery scent teased my nostrils, I resolved to think only of Mar-chan.

“Hey, Noil?”

“…What?”

Desperately trying not to pay attention to you, I heard you whisper in a small voice.

“I really like this.”

It’s not good.

This isn’t an appropriate distance.

“…What do you mean by ‘this’?”

“I’m going to take care of you, Noil.”

Saying that, you softly wrapped your arms around me, and my heart began to pound loudly.

“If I keep sucking your blood like this, you won’t be able to move at all, right?”

You rubbed your nose against my neck.

“Should we do that?”

Then, almost as if placing a kiss, you whispered in my ear. Your breath and voice tickled my ear, sending shivers racing through my body.

I slowly, quietly exhaled a deep breath.

“I don’t want to lose my ability to go fishing.”

Hearing my response, you—

“I knew you’d say that! Hehe, ahahaha!”

Laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world, you pulled away from me.

I exhaled deeply once more.

“Ah, let’s just sleep already.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Hehe.”

You really do make outrageous jokes. I mean, you’d never actually do something like that—and judging by your demeanor now, you’re not going to do anything weird beyond this. You seem satisfied enough.

Well, even though sharing a bed like this is already a bit odd, I’ve just given up on trying to resist.

“Good night, Noel.”

“Good night, Noil.”

We exchanged these words, and I closed my eyes.

I was worried I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but given that I’m low on both mana and blood, it turned out to be an unfounded worry. The amazing comfort of the bed soon lulled me into an irresistible sleep.

“…I knew it all along—I understand best.”

In the haze of sleep, I think I faintly heard a voice say that.