IYAMD: Episode 48

Marsilia lifted his head at the awkward touch on his back. Jaha, holding him tightly, had a bewildered expression. He seemed unsure of what to do, furrowing his brows as he awkwardly embraced Marsilia.

‘Are you okay?’

The slight movement of his lips was quickly readable. How many times had Marsilia heard those words from him?

The man of few words had, at some point, started using that phrase regularly. Just like how he had reassured Jaha that everything was fine.

His heart fluttered, and laughter bubbled up uncontrollably. It seemed like the sensation was spreading under his chest.

Marsilia stared deeply into Jaha’s light yellow eyes and whispered.

“I want to kiss you.”

But he would hold back. Instead, Marsilia pressed his lips gently against Jaha’s forehead.

“A kiss of devotion to the hero of the battle.”

Leaving a brief kiss, Marsilia set Jaha down with a sigh and surveyed his surroundings. He saw the knights, exhausted and slumped between the corpses of dozens of Minotaurs.

Marsilia commanded them.

“Get up. Rest can wait until later. This is still a battlefield, and we must first tend to our fallen comrades. Rise, my knights. It is not yet the time to sit.”

Though he tried his best to save everyone, not everyone survived. Some were cut down in a single swing of an axe, others were too far to be reached in time.

“Gather the fallen and assess the casualties. Due to the heat, we will conduct the funeral here. The personal belongings to be delivered to the families will be sorted by the comrades of the deceased.”

Marsilia sighed as he looked around. He had to tend to the Minotaur remains as well, but everyone was already exhausted.

Yet, in the early summer heat, decomposition would begin after only a day. Marsilia encouraged his knights and ordered them to begin dismantling the Minotaur corpses.

There were so many bodies, so it was a lot of work. He also made sure to tell them to take what they could.

“Take the leather as you see fit. If you bring it to the artisans in the capital, you’ll get light and high-quality leather armor. I won’t say anything if only the necessary ones take some. But make sure to gather the horns, eyes, heart, and liver.”

At the mention of the leather, the knights moved quickly, as if their fatigue had vanished. The Minotaur leather was tough and durable, making it excellent for defensive gear.

Normally, the kingdom would take everything, and the knights would be rewarded with a bonus as a sign of appreciation. But since Marsilia had allowed them to take as much as they wanted, it was no surprise that the knights were eager.

By the time the dismantling of the corpses and storing of the organs was completed, the day had already turned to night.

The evening meal was hastily prepared by the non-combatants, but a victory celebration couldn’t be overlooked.

They built a large bonfire to light up the camp like it was midday, and the knights busily prepared food even at that late hour.

They tore open barrels of wine, grilled meat, and nearly exhausted all the remaining supplies to throw a big feast.

Jaha, upon returning, had already finished his morning rituals in the Emperor’s tent.

Considering how he hadn’t even attempted it because he didn’t trust anyone, it was a huge change.

Jaha roughly wiped his face and left the tent to find Marsilia, who had been busy tending to the bodies of the fallen knights and the aftermath since the battle had ended.

Even after returning to the camp, he hadn’t rested. He checked the amount of by-products gathered with Gerald, and even wrote a letter requesting transport personnel.

Jaha honestly worried about him. When the battle had ended, he had felt the trembling fingertips and lower body temperature when he had embraced him, but Marsilia had said it was nothing, and Jaha hadn’t believed him. Yet, he moved fine, and there were still many things he needed to do, so Jaha couldn’t leave him to rest.

Now, though, it seemed like everyone was starting to relax, and perhaps it was time for the Emperor to rest too.

Jaha found Marsilia near the large bonfire in the center of the camp. Taking a drink from a knight offering him wine, he sat silently, sipping without doing anything else.

It was probably after he had purified the barrel of wine.

Jaha frowned slightly, still looking at his dirty face. Though most of the knights hadn’t had a chance to wash up, his face was the most noticeable for being filthy.

Marsilia spotted Jaha and waved. Understanding the gesture to come over, Jaha approached, and Marsilia reached out to him.

Jaha took the hand and pulled him close. The large man staggered from Jaha’s strength, blinking in surprise.

‘You need to rest.’

Frustrated, Jaha struck his chest and flattened his lips. It was so frustrating not being able to talk. He had never imagined this situation at first.

While Marsilia kept moving his lips, Jaha stared at him intently. After repeating the same sentence several times, Marsilia smiled, wrinkling his face.

‘I can’t rest right now.’

He glanced around, as though he couldn’t leave this spot. But Jaha didn’t want to hear it.

He had seen how much effort Marsilia had put in.

So, Jaha shook his head firmly.

‘You need to rest.’

“This is troublesome.”

Marsilia chuckled with a frown, and Jaha bent down and lifted him off the ground. With Marsilia’s large body draped over his shoulder, Jaha turned toward the knights, gesturing toward them.

‘You can drink among yourselves.’

It didn’t matter whether they understood him. What mattered was that the man, who had initially been unable to do anything in surprise, began to laugh, even in this position, as he slowly got used to it.

 Jaha walked resolutely toward the tent, Marsilia spoke from behind him. His voice sounded different, as though it was difficult for him to speak due to his pressed stomach.

“You really surprise me.”

Jaha wanted to tell him to be quiet. He didn’t want to see him laughing or chatting carelessly.

The moment they entered the tent, Jaha threw him onto the bed as if tossing him. Then, in place of the distracted Malek due to the celebration, he prepared the Emperor’s washing water.

Marsilia, with his head lowered, rested his forearm on his thigh before slowly lifting his head.

“Are you the one who will wash me?”

It seemed like the same playful words as usual, but Jaha quietly knelt beside him. The fingertips that had dropped inside his thigh trembled slightly.

Marsilia was likely forcing himself to stay conscious, trying hard to hold off the desire to collapse. Jaha could roughly guess the state without asking.

Jaha soaked the cloth and wiped Marsilia’s face. As he scrubbed to remove the dirt, Marsilia frowned and burst into a smile.

“Are you trying to peel my skin off?”

His skin wasn’t weak enough to be peeled off by just this, but Jaha kept his mouth shut and applied more pressure to wash the grime away.

After several attempts, Marsilia’s face finally started to resemble a human’s again. Throwing out the dirty water, Jaha turned his attention to removing Marsilia’s torn tunic.

The man seemed on the verge of completely collapsing, swaying as Jaha led him. He looked like a ruined scarecrow.

The wounds on his body didn’t seem as deep as expected. Perhaps his healing ability was better than most.

Even those who reached the level of a master in the Eastern Continent could heal rapidly due to their active metabolism. The Western Continent couldn’t be too different.

Jaha sighed as he observed the already-clotted wounds, which would likely heal within a day or two.

In the meantime, Marsilia, who had quietly leaned his head, muttered while looking up at Jaha. His eyes were heavy with sleep.

“You must like me a little now, right? To go this far and do something like this for me?”

Instead of answering, Jaha moved his hand. He wiped the scabbed area with the wet cloth, cleaning it again and again.

As he rinsed the cloth and changed the water in the basin, Jaha began to feel his heart gradually calm down.

He realized only belatedly that until then, he had been in a restless state.

The bleeding had stopped, so it would likely heal by tomorrow. Jaha sighed and gently laid the sleeping man down on the bed.

When he returned after emptying the basin, Marsilia was panting shallowly, his face weary.

Jaha knelt beside him, embracing his body as he gently repositioned him. As he turned Marsilia to lay him down, Jaha accidentally fell forward.

The reason became clear when he realized that Marsilia had hugged his waist while still asleep, pulling him closer.

Jaha, briefly leaning against his chest, rolled his eyes. When the pounding of his heart reached his ears, his eyes automatically closed.

It seemed that his heartbeat was getting faster. The rhythmic thumping grew louder and louder, until eventually, the loud sound hit his eardrums.

Jaha let out a faint sigh.

The sound of someone alive is so endearing. He felt the warmth spreading in his eyelids and put more strength into his closed eyes.

His damp cheek brushed against Marsilia’s bare skin. He didn’t know why, but though he wasn’t sad, he wanted to cry.

Jaha quietly let the tears fall as he held the increasingly warm body tighter.