NOVEL NEXT Chapter 150
That night.
Yawn…
As the crackling fireplace spread warm light, Rudell, dressed comfortably, lounged on his bed, stretching out a long-awaited break.
When was the last time he relaxed like this…
He couldn’t even remember anymore.
Haah…
Staring blankly at the ceiling, Rudell let out a short sigh.
His mind was more cluttered than ever.
The Church had returned.
The stolen Holy Sword and the invasion of the Barbarians.
That pointed to one thing.
Soon… it’ll come to an end… somehow…
The Evil God Thanatos’s descent.
To summon a god, dozens, if not thousands, of innocent souls had to be sacrificed.
In the original story, the Church caused countless deaths to gather offerings to summon their god, Thanatos.
But the story in this world was different.
Because of Rudell’s interference, their plans had repeatedly been thwarted. It was practically a story saying they hadn’t gathered enough offerings.
I should’ve thought that far…
However, because of that, they had used a method Rudell would never predict.
That was none other than the existence of the Holy Sword.
The Holy Sword, made from the fragments of the gods, possessed immense Divine Power just by existing.
It was the perfect offering to summon a god.
That was undoubtedly the reason they stole the Holy Sword.
Hah…
Feeling a heaviness in his chest, another short sigh escaped Rudell’s lips.
Just then…
Knock. Knock.
“Huh?”
Someone was knocking on his room door. Rudell got up, puzzled.
[Rudell. It’s me. Can I come in?]
“Come in.”
He replied loudly to Leje’s voice from behind the door.
With a clack, Leje entered. Seeing her in pajamas, Rudell tilted his head and asked.
“What’s up?”
“What do you mean, what’s up? Can’t I come see my lover?”
“Well, if that’s the reason, then you’re always welcome.”
With a playful expression, Rudell responded, and Leje settled onto his bed with a satisfied smile.
“What were you doing?”
“Just lounging around.”
“Liar. With that serious face?”
“Was it that obvious?”
“No, I was just teasing you. Turns out it was true?”
“…”
This girl…
Got me good. Rudell thought as he narrowed his eyes, causing Leje to chuckle.
Then, she reached out and gently caressed Rudell’s cheek.
“Right now, just don’t think about anything and relax. Otherwise, you’ll wear yourself out.”
“But…”
“Ah, do you think your body is just yours? It’s mine too, so just listen!”
Ugh…
It wasn’t completely wrong, so with a low groan, Rudell threw himself back onto the bed.
Seeing that, Leje snuggled into the blankets with him, and the two shared warmth under the same blanket.
Hehe…
As their eyes met, Leje gave a mischievous smile and reached out her arms toward Rudell.
He embraced her, feeling a calming warmth from her scent teasing his nose.
Now that I think about it, I never really had a proper romance in my last life.
After lying there for a while, Rudell suddenly recalled memories from his past life.
Coming out of the orphanage, every day was just about surviving.
In that context, romance was nothing but a luxury.
“What are you thinking that’s got you looking so serious?”
“Did it look like that?”
“Yeah.”
As Leje looked at Rudell, he blinked his eyes wide and replied.
“Just… thinking about the past.”
“The past?”
“I never thought my life would turn out like this back then.”
Who would have imagined a construction worker boy would get a second life?
Honestly, Rudell still sometimes wondered if all of this wasn’t just a dream before death.
That when he closed his eyes and opened them again, it would all be an illusion, and he’d just be lying on a cold floor.
“So what did you think your life would be like back then?”
“I figured I’d live as an ordinary rural noble and die old.”
He couldn’t honestly say that, so Rudell substituted with a plausible story.
In reality, before he became friends with her, Rudell’s goal was to live as thinly and long as he could.
Of course, now it seemed almost meaningless.
“Do you want to go back to that life even now?”
“Of course not.”
Life without her was unimaginable for Rudell.
Even if someone sent him back to the past, he’d choose to become friends with her again.
Rudell was confident of that.
Now, I can’t even imagine a life without you.
Saying that, Rudell lightly kissed Leje’s forehead.
Feeling her scent, breath, and warmth.
All of that felt sweet to Rudell.
Che. Just words?
“Of course not.”
After pulling his lips away from Leje’s forehead, Rudell smiled lightly at her question…
“Give me a kiss.”
Upon Leje’s request, he carefully brought his lips to hers.
Leje, seemingly okay with it, closed her eyes and accepted his lips.
As their tongues intertwined, an indescribable sweetness coursed through their senses.
With both savoring each other’s saliva, they intertwined their tongues for quite a while.
Hah…
Eventually, their lips parted, and they exchanged faint smiles.
Laughter flowed between them as they kissed again.
After several minutes of their intimate moments had ended—
“Rudell, have you thought about our future?”
“Our future?”
“Yeah, after the fight with the Church is over.”
“Hmm… not really. I guess we’d just live like ordinary people?”
After the fight with the Church is over?
He wanted to enjoy the normalcy he had sacrificed for and live again.
Until now, Rudell’s life had been focused solely on stopping the Church.
Because of that, he had been neglectful toward Leje. After the fight ends, he planned to give her everything he hadn’t until now.
“I’m not asking about that.”
“Then what are you asking?”
“I mean specific plans like when we’ll get married, what kind of house we’ll live in, how many kids we’ll have.”
“I… I haven’t thought that far, so I don’t know.”
With Leje’s question, Rudell gave a low groan.
Of course, it wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about such things.
But each time, he pushed those thoughts aside, telling himself to think about them after everything was over.
“How about three kids? Sounds good, right?”
“That’s too hasty… We don’t even know what will happen.”
“So what? Anyone can make plans for the future.”
“Now that you mention it, I really have nothing to say.”
Anyone can plan for their future.
Thinking about that left Rudell at a loss for words.
Then, just then…
“Hey, Rudell…”
“Yeah? What is it?”
Looking up at the ceiling, Rudell turned his head at Leje’s voice.
And at that moment, she sat up and climbed onto Rudell’s body.
“Leje…?”
Seeing her strangely flushed face, Rudell tilted his head.
“Well… since we’re on the topic… how about a little rehearsal?”
“A rehearsal?”
To her trailing words, Rudell looked puzzled.
A rehearsal? For what rehearsal?
As he wondered about that, just then…
“W-wait, you’re not thinking what I think you are…”
An ominous premonition passed through Rudell’s mind…
He tried to voice his unease, but his words were cut off by Leje’s lips sealing his mouth.
In an intensively passionate kiss, Rudell felt a sensation that was almost indescribable, electrifying his nerves.
For a long time, Leje indulged in Rudell’s lips…
After a moment, her lips parted, glistening strands of saliva connecting them.
With ragged breaths escaping her lips and a flushed face, she spoke.
“Le-leje…”
“What you’re thinking is exactly right.”