Vol 3 Chapter 79 – Roy vs. His Self-Control! (Service Chapter Before the Fierce Battle)【Empire War Arc】

Soleil Fort had been named for the sun, as a guardian deity, with the wish that the long blizzards of ages past would never happen again.

That name was not just for show. From the corridors all the way to the cells, small channels ran through the stone, and from red magic stones placed at key points, hot water flowed along those grooves.

Because of that, large public baths had been installed at regular intervals throughout the fort. Roy and the others, though unfamiliar with the system, had spent the night until morning working together to get everything running again.

According to King Volga’s estimation, the blizzard would last at least two full days before it cleared.

“Good work, everyone. It’s a brief break, but the baths are open whenever you need them. East wing is for women, west wing is for men, and the command building is women in the morning, men from noon. Don’t mix up the times. Alright, dismissed.”

After offering a few words of appreciation to the forces gathered here, Roy let out a sigh and headed back to the command building.

Because the commander’s room was the one where they had fought the undead, he decided to be polite and sleep in the vice-commander’s room instead.

He entered the room and flopped down onto the bed. As he did, the mattress sank heavily beside him.

“We’re really wiped out~, and it’s already morning. What do you want to do? Go to sleep?”

Peering down into Roy’s face as she spoke, Yukino had somehow changed clothes without him noticing—black tank top, black culottes… She was already in full-on sleep mode.

She used to wear white or pink, but lately she had been picking black-based sleepwear to match him.

“Roy-saaan, what’s it gonna be?”

“Yeah… with two days off, we might as well get some sleep.”

“Then I’ll sleep too!”

After they turned out the lights, Yukino lay facing Roy, and Roy turned toward the wall. It was only a short break, but it felt like a little piece of normal life had returned, and that alone was comforting.

He had no idea how much time had passed when he woke up to warm breath from above. His face was enveloped in something soft. He understood immediately: Yukino had curled around him in her sleep, cradling his head.

“…It’s about time, huh…”

Because Yukino was linked to Roy through the Purification Ring, she still could not rank down the magic staff Thyrsus to a Meteor Staff.

Because of that, she needed periodic purification. Those who wielded dark weapons and allowed corruption to build up would each begin to show different symptoms.

Haruto had started abandoning decisions. Manabu became unnaturally aggressive. Sarina had said, in her own words, that she felt a much stronger urge to “take things away” from people.

So then… what about Yukino?

There had been times when they had gone quite a while without conducting purification, but she had never shown any obvious signs. After asking Sarina about Yukino’s life back in their old world, Roy had finally figured it out.

Apparently, despite how she looked, Yukino had been second in her class at school—a bona fide honor student. And the one person she could never beat was her stepsister, Yukina.

Always living in Yukina’s shadow, Yukino had gotten used to holding herself back. She had never been able to lean on anyone. Putting all that together, Roy concluded that the corruption’s effect on Yukino was a heightened desire to “cling to someone close.”

On mornings after they had skipped purification for a while, she would hug his arm the moment they saw each other. On the other hand, after a purification session, she would blush the next morning and insist he look away while she got dressed.

Better to get this over with while she’s asleep, Roy thought, and gently slipped free of her hold before placing his hand over where her heart was.

“…Ah… nn… mmh…!”

Each time Roy’s fingers pressed in, Yukino let out a sweet little breath. Her weapon trait, Skill Enhancement, sharpened her senses and made her that much more specialized for healing.

When she was asleep beside someone she trusted this much, that effect became far more pronounced. Roy understood all of that, but he was still a man. Hearing those kinds of sounds from that close could not help but shake his self-control.

The Purification Ring glowed, and he could feel the cleansed corruption turning into experience and flowing into them both. Even after the process had finished, Roy kept going. Fighting battles in the unfamiliar Empire had been wearing on him more than he realized, and the stress had built up without him noticing.

“Ah… nn! More…”

She definitely was not awake—this was Yukino’s instincts, her woman’s side, putting those words in her mouth.

That was what finally snapped Roy out of it.

“What the hell am I doing…? Doing this kind of thing to a sleeping girl… and a party member on top of that… I need to cool my head.”

Careful not to wake her, he slipped out into the corridor and stared out the window. In the Empire, “dim” was daytime and “pitch-dark” was night… which meant it was daytime now.

He leaned against the window frame, lost in thought, and pulled up his status screen.

Status

Roy & Yukino (Shadow Mage, Healer)

Gram +128
Total Power 12,300
Holy Sword Trait Enhancement

Thyrsus +128
Total Power 11,600
Skill Enhancement

Sarina “Lancer”
Meteor Spear (Lightning)

Manabu “Earth Mage”
Meteor Grimoire (Earth)

Sophia “Holy Knight”
Holy Lance Longinus +155
Total Power 15,010
Magical Amplification: Overload

Ange “Sword Princess”
Celestial Blade

Relic weapons—Epic Weapons—still did not display stats for people who did not wield them. Most likely, ordinary people did have numbers; the system simply did not show them.

“Boss! What are you doing out here?”

Manabu walked over, carrying a towel and a wooden bucket.

“Woke up halfway, so I figured I’d stare at the scenery for a bit.”

“Is that so? Ah, have you seen Shirasato-san? She wasn’t in her room, and I can’t find her anywhere.”

“…She’s sleeping in my room.”

“Eh! You’re still sleeping together!?”

“Relax. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Before Manabu’s imagination could run wild, Roy shut that down. Even so, Manabu eyed him suspiciously.

“So Yukino had her own room, huh.”

“Ange-san did the room assignments for the girls, but it’s kind of pointless, huh.”

“Yeah, we both gave up. The room chart’s just for show at this point.”

“Haha… Ah, right! Want to hit the bath together? From noon on, this one’s the guys’ time, right?”

“Getting serious déjà vu here… but yeah. Not like there’s anything else to do. Might as well soak and unwind.”

Roy took out his bathing gear from Shadow Pocket, and he and Manabu headed for the command building’s bath. Just in case, they flipped the sign to “Men” before stripping down.

“Whoa… Boss, you’re as ripped as ever.”

“Frontliners have to put their bodies on the line. This much is normal. You look more built than before too, Manabu.”

“When I had the dark weapon, the golem did all the one-shots for me. Now that I’ve ranked down, I have to run a lot more, so I’ve gotten a bit more fit.”

The excess fat had melted away, and for a rear guard, his physique was more than good enough.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Roy scrubbed Manabu’s mushroom-cut hair into a messy mop. Manabu complained with his mouth, but his expression looked just a little pleased. And so, Roy and Manabu began to fully enjoy their time in the bath.

☆☆☆

“While everyone’s resting, I must do my part with the patrol, yes indeed!”

King Volga cheerfully skipped along on his rounds.

“Hm? There’s a sign in the slot… Was it men from noon here? Hmmm, can’t remember! Well, it is noon now, so I’ll just switch it.”

Volga flipped the “Men” sign over to “Women,” then skipped away looking quite satisfied with his “hard work.”