127 A Confession

We decided to camp for the night inside the makeshift cave, so I headed out to gather some firewood to burn. She offered her help, but I refused, telling her that I wanted her to rest at the cave instead.

I decided to use the opportunity to also scout for the treant. I was curious about why it didn't seem to be moving around anymore.

To my surprise, when I returned to where the monster was, it was no longer there. Instead, the bald patch in the forest it should've left in its wake was gone.

Meaning, it had turned back to being part of the forest.

I looked at the trees around me. No signs of our battle. It really was as if our fight never happened in the first place. Of course, if I were to start firing my fire spells again, it most likely would wake up again. Though I doubted it would try to ambush me again. It should know that I was too troublesome for it to handle. Or so I hoped. An S-rank monster should be intelligent enough to realize such a thing.

I moved to a different part of the forest to get the firewood. I wasn't going to risk waking it up by cutting down part of its body. I also grabbed some mushrooms for our dinner. I couldn't find any edible monsters around, unfortunately.

"I'm back!" I shouted once I arrived back at the cave.

----------

We sat side by side inside the cave, watching as the large pile of firewood was slowly consumed by the flames. I had made a small hole on the ceiling, allowing the smoke to go upwards instead of filling the cave. We were still wearing our winter clothing. The weather was cold enough that we were more comfortable that way. Outside, the snow had been falling for quite a while. The clouds I had moved had returned back to their place, and sooner or later, another blizzard might start to blanket the whole forest once more.

We just finished our dinner. I had gathered as many mushrooms as I could. I ate one-third of them while she ate the rest. Since her nutrients had been drained, it was only natural that she would be starving.

"Charles…" Anne suddenly spoke. "I want to apologize. For all the terrible things I've said to you."

And there it was—the thing she wanted to say so badly she wanted us to camp here instead of going back to town straight away.

"I had let my prejudice get the better of me. I thought all nobles are bad, and when I learned that you were one of them, I thought you would be just like them—looking down on us commoners behind your smile."

Ah, class prejudice. It always existed no matter what world you were in.

"You see, my father… he was killed by them."

A branch snapped inside the pile of firewood, sending a loud crack throughout the cave.

"There was a monster invasion. It killed my father and destroyed my village. But our local lord… he didn't send a single knight to help us. We had to rely on adventurers instead. We were outnumbered and outmatched. Still, we managed to win, but not without heavy losses. It wasn't just my father. Anton's old party members—they lost their lives that day as well."

So that's where she got her prejudice from. It wasn't just something born out of jealousy towards their wealth and status. It was born out of the feeling of betrayal, as they hadn't done the job they were supposed to do. One of the social contracts between nobility and the common folk was that the former was supposed to protect the latter. And yet, her lord, whom she and her father had no doubt paid their taxes to every year, had refused to send any form of help.

Really, if I were in her position, I would probably feel the same.

I recollected one of Fiora's words, on how she as a royal princess and the future ruler of the Empire—she didn't hesitate on that declaration—had a duty to ensure the wellbeing of her people. She then said with disgust how much the nobility of the Empire had ignored their subjects, being stuck in their own little world fighting their own little battles for influence and power.

Another reason why I ended up being willing to support her when the time came for her fight for the throne.

Though I doubted the two of them, Anne and Fiora, would go along if they ever met. Fiora would simply be too snobby for Anne.

"And so, I thought you were looking down on me, on us, as well. I knew you were hiding your true strength, and I believed you did it because you wanted to see us struggle against monsters you could defeat with a flick of your wand. But now… now I know you are not like that. For you to come all the way out here to save me, risking your life in the process… you are as far away from those selfish nobles as one possibly can be."

Another twig snapped inside the bonfire. And the sound brought me to a decision.

"I'm sorry. I guess I've been unfair to you and the others." I spoke with a wry smile. "I haven't been forthcoming and honest with any of you, even though we have traveled together for so long. I didn't trust you enough, so I kept a distance between us. But now, after you told me your story, it's only fair for me to tell you mine, isn't it?"

I turned to face her and she did the same. Our eyes met for a moment before she retreated, staring back towards the bonfire.

"I am not Charles Pendleton. That's a fake name I've given to myself. I wasn't born in the Holy Empire, nor I was of the nobility. I came from the Southwestern Continent, in the kingdom named Marchen. My real name is Hugo Greenwood. And I am currently on the run from its neighboring nation, the Magocracy, for I have killed one of its rulers."

I then told her everything, from the very start, when Marina was kidnapped by Vera. I told her how I lost my parents in our fight, and how I barely managed to win against the ice witch. I told her of my shame, how I ran away instead of facing my sister like a real man would. I even told her of Sherry, how she was adopted by my family, how she left for the Demon Continent, and how I am now going after her.

When I finished, she was looking at me with a mixture of surprise, pity, and guilt. I could tell that all I just said was too much for her to believe. So I remained silent, waiting for her to make the first move.

"I… I can't believe it… to think that you've gone through so much… and yet, I thought of all those horrible things about you in my mind…" Her voice shook as she buried her face on her knees.

"If you think of me as a coward, then you're right," I replied with a grim smile. "If you think of me as a pervert, then you're also right. I might not have a maid or a slave as my lovers, but my eyes would always wander whenever I see an attractive woman. Got it from my father by the way. He too was quite the perv." I chuckled. A little joke, to lighten up the atmosphere.

"No, you are not a coward!" she suddenly yelled, turning her face towards me in a flash. Her yellow eyes were watering. Was my story really that sad?

"You're a brave person who would sacrifice himself to save others! Not just for me but also for complete strangers! You fought that dragon just to save a little girl you only met yesterday! I know that! I know that deep down in my heart! And yet… and yet… in my pride, I remained stubborn, thinking that you're just playing the hero to show off. I was even annoyed when people started to sing your praises! How stupid is that!"

Tears were now flowing down her cheeks.

"The truth is… the truth is that I just… I just…"

"I've fallen for you, alright?! And I hate and despise how you've left me behind to go on your own adventures! I know I'm not strong enough to follow in your steps! And even if I am, you already have that Sherry girl! I never really hated you! I only hated myself!"

Silence. She looked away and began sobbing into her hands.

And I… I don't know what to say.

To be honest, I had some suspicion that she might have some feelings towards me, just from the fact how her mood would turn sour every time Amelie got close to me. But naturally, I couldn't do anything about it. Like she said, I already have Sherry. I would be a vile man if I humored her affection, knowing that we would never be able to be together.

But now, she outright admitted it. I was expecting an apology, which I got, but I didn't expect her to break down and confess like that. Tsunderes wouldn't just do that out of the blue. The protagonist would have to be the one to make the first move.

And then, I realized it—me saving her was that first move.

Father once said that to make a girl fall for you, you just had to save her in her time of need. I didn't really buy it at first—love should be more complicated than that—but now, it seemed to be true after all.

Now what should I do? Should I give her a hug? That could calm her down, but it could lead to something that I wouldn't want to happen.

I settled on a shoulder pat instead.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I can't return your feelings. Sherry… she's waiting for me, training hard with her people for my sake. I can't betray her, even if I wanted to."

Her sobbing stopped. She looked up towards me and said, "You… you want to?"

"Eh?"

"So, does that mean you're interested in me?"

"W-well, I—"

"Don't think I didn't notice all those times you stared at my butt." She pouted.

Yeah, I really did that. A couple of times. Maybe more. I couldn't help it. Those shorts she wore under her skirt were simply too tantalizing, showing off her voluptuous bottom and cameltoe every time she bent over. They might be even better than normal panties.

"That's alright though. If it's you, I'll allow it."

And then, she shoved me down onto the dirt.

W-wait, seriously? Was she really going to—

"Sleep with me, alright? Just this time. That girlfriend of yours doesn't need to know. You have to go soon, right? We'll never see each other again. Please, give me this one thing… just this thing... to remember you with…"

Her face was inches away from mine. I could feel her breath warming my nose. I could even smell the scent of alcohol coming out from her mouth.

Wait, alcohol?

Oh, that's right! The mushrooms I gathered! The locals called them Wineshrooms, as they had trace amounts of alcohol inside them. And since she ate so much of them, she actually got drunk off them! That's why she was being so aggressive right now! But why did the effect only start to kick in now?!

"H-hey, I'm still too young for that kind of stuff!"

My old, virgin self would definitely kick me in the face for that response.

"Mmm, I don't care," she replied, her speech getting more and more slurred. "You've had your lewd dreams, right? I heard boys get that once they're old enough to do it."

Hold on, how did she know I already have those dreams?!

"And look, your little guy down here… he's already ready, isn't he?" she whispered, in the most vixen-like manner.

S-soft! Her hand is so soft!

"Hehe. You're really cute when you're blushing. You never did it with a girl before, did you? Not even with that girlfriend of yours." She grinned. Her face was now fully flushed with lust. The usual tsundere tomboy had disappeared, replaced by a lustful girl who really wanted to bed an 11-year old.

She then released her hand off my privates, only to use them to start undressing me off my winter clothes.

Alright, that's it! I can't let her do this any longer or else we would really be crossing the line!

I grabbed both ends of her waist. And then, I pushed her off my body.

"I'm sorry," I said to her as firmly as I could. "I can't give you what you want. I would really be cheating on her if I give it to you. Especially since it'd be my first time."

To think I would ever refuse to do it with a girl...

Though if you thought about it, doing it with a drunk girl would be against the law… not to mention that I was still underaged as well

Well, those two laws didn't really exist in this world, did they? I only refused because of Sherry, not for some moralistic notion I brought over from my old life. Slavery was immoral in my old world but I couldn't just brand everyone who owned slaves in this world as a bad guy.

She reacted by letting out a hiccup before tears started flowing out of her eyes once again.

"I see it now… You don't wanna do it with me because I'm not attractive enough! I know you prefer big chests over small ones! And your Sherry probably has the biggest of them all!"

"Well, actually, she's pretty flat, all things conside—"

"Liar!" She pointed her finger. "Don't you dare lie to me, Hugo! This Sherry girl must be a succubus! No wonder you're so faithful to her!"

Aah, she really is drunk…

If I went back and revisited the past, I had seen her like this before. She was actually a very lightweight drinker, but her drunken antics were a sight to behold. I saw it once that day, in one of the taverns we visited on our journey to Fiania. She jumped up the table and started yelling all sorts of nonsense, to the joy of the other travelers there who just got free entertainment that night.

If I had remembered, I wouldn't have let her eat that many mushrooms.

"I just want a cool boyfriend like you! Is that so much to ask?!"

I sighed. She was at that age where teen girls got all hormonal and stuff. She probably didn't really love me in earnest. She only thought I was cool and good-looking, and she got carried away from me saving her and from the influence of the mushrooms. For people who actually had social lives, having a girlfriend or boyfriend, and having sexual intercourse with them, was never that big of a deal. Marriage was the relationship where you had to commit. And even then, divorce was always available.

Of course, in this world, I didn't believe the concept of divorce even existed. So marriage would be really for your entire life. So unless she started to beg me to marry her, she wasn't really committed to living the rest of her life with me. And my ideal life would be to have a beautiful and devoted wife that would stay with me until the day I died. A temporary girlfriend would still be nice but my weak heart wouldn't be able to take the breakup.

As for Sherry… Mother often teased her by saying how she should marry me in the future. And she didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Right, Sherry? Please tell me you're still willing to spend the rest of your life with this loser of a man.

And then, without warning, she fell over.

She had fallen asleep on her own.

-----

Anne

When I opened my eyes, sunlight was already pouring inside the cave.

"Uhh…"

Groggily, I sat up, holding a hand to my head. No doubt a hangover from last night.

Wait, last night? What did I do again back then?

Urgh, I couldn't remember. All I knew was that I ate too much of those Wineshrooms.

To think I would get that drunk from them… I really am weak to anything with alcohol.

"Good morning!"

I turned around, seeing Charles, no, Hugo, smiling at me. He was cooking something on the bonfire. Judging by the smoky smell, it was probably some kind of meat.

Let's see. I told him about my story, and then he told him his (I still could barely believe that!), and after that, I think I…

My heart skipped a beat.

Did I… did I actually tell him that I like—

I bolted.

"H-hey, where are you—"

I ignored his words.

I ran out of the cave, as far away as I could from him.

My chest was like a battle drum, beating relentlessly without rest. My cheeks were burning and my eyes were watering.

For I had certainly, definitely confessed to him.

Only after I was out of breath, I stopped, leaning on a tree with one hand, while the other massaged my chest.

Why?! Why did you do that, you stupid drunkard girl?! You already know that he has a girlfriend but you came forward and told him that you like him too! Are you an idiot? What do you want him to do? To abandon her and choose you instead?

I punched the tree. Frustration swelled inside me.

I liked him. That fact was unavoidable.

I thought I could pretend that I didn't, but after what he did yesterday, that feeling burst forth once more, amplifying with so much intensity that my drunk self just had to say it to him.

I didn't know since when. Before I knew it, I desired him. Not just as a friend, but as something more—something I wanted for myself.

My hatred for him… it was only a ruse. My true feeling was one of affection.

And then, my memories returned into a rush.

I remembered everything, from how I confessed, to his rejection, and to me forcing him to the ground in my drunken state, telling him to forget about his girlfriend and to bed me instead. I even remembered my childish tantrum afterward.

...

...That treant should've snapped me in two.

Suddenly, I heard a rustle on the trees. I promptly looked up, only to find him jumping down from the air.

"There you are!" he said to me, still with that idiotic, yet cute smile of his. "Come! Breakfast is rea—"

"I'm so sorry!"

I bowed as I never bowed before.

What I did was simply unforgivable.

I had tried to seduce him in the most shameless manner. I had lost all my senses and I let my lust overcome my judgment. I forced myself to him, even though I knew he already had a lover. I had become a harlot, trying to make a good young man like him to break his promise.

"Please forgive me for what I did last night!"

Even so, I still apologized, for it was the only thing I could do.

"Last night? Umm, I'm not sure if there's anything you should apologize for."

What?

I looked up and saw him with his eyebrows raised.

"Don't you remember? I pushed you down and then I—"

"Pushed me down? You never did such a thing." He folded his hands and tilted his head. "Sure, you confessed to me and I rejected you, but I don't think that's anything to be sorry about. I'm glad you told me your feelings, Anne, even if I can't return them." He returned to his smile again. "That means you don't hate me after all."

E-eh? He doesn't remember?

"So don't worry about it, alright?" He walked forward and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Now let's go back and eat some breakfast. Hope you like Snow Bunny meat though. That's all I could find."

I was saved.

He doesn't remember what I did to him.

That's why he's still this friendly towards me. If he had known, then he would no doubt hate me for sure.

I couldn't stop a smile to bloom on my face.

I'm sorry, Hugo, but I can't tell you the truth.

I just… I don't want you to hate me.

I know it's selfish, especially after I've treated you so badly all this time.

If I can't be your girlfriend, then at the very least I can be your friend. That's not too much to ask, is it?

With those thoughts in mind, I followed after him, putting on the brightest smile I could muster.

"Snow Rabbit meat huh? I guess it's not too bad. Just put a lot of pepper on it, alright?"