IYAMD: Episode 73

Before he knew it, the man’s green eyes gleamed as he drew closer. As their gazes locked as if enchanted, he whispered softly.

“May I kiss you?”

Jaha hesitated briefly, licking his lips. He didn’t want to make the man, who was looking into his eyes, wait too long.

“Mm.”

At Jaha’s permission, Marsilia’s narrowed eyes widened. For a moment, Jaha had the illusion that light was bursting from those green irises. Now fully revealed, his eyes shimmered even more brilliantly than before.

But in the next moment, Marsilia lowered his lashes and closed the distance in an instant.

“I’m so happy.”

The man pressed said as he kissed him. As he brushed against his lips and pulled away, his eyes were filled with the joy he had spoken of.

Jaha glanced back and forth between his two eyes before lowering his gaze. The sight of those cherry blossom-colored lips parting as they drew near again filled his vision.

Marsilia didn’t rush. Slowly, as if savoring the moment, he slid his tongue between Jaha’s lips, licking lightly before pulling away, just enough to leave behind a lingering sensation.

Soft, ticklish kisses continued in an unhurried rhythm. When Jaha closed his eyes and tilted his chin up, only then did the man’s tongue invade his mouth.

With each movement of his tongue, a thick, sticky sound resonated. Every time that sound reached his ears, chills ran down Jaha’s spine, making his body tremble slightly.

Unable to bear it, Jaha raised his hands to cover his ears, and Marsilia chuckled against his lips. But when the kiss deepened, Jaha finally realized his mistake.

By covering his ears, the sound had amplified, making it even harder to endure. Heat surged up the back of his neck.

When Jaha lowered his hands, Marsilia cradled his face and lifted his chin.

As his hand slowly stroked Jaha’s cheek and reached his ear, a heated breath escaped from Jaha’s lips.

“Hngh…”

Goosebumps spread across his temples and scalp. The sensation of Marsilia’s tongue gliding inside his mouth felt unbearably vivid, and perhaps because of that, the wet sounds seemed even louder.

Jaha couldn’t tell whether he was licking his mouth or his ear anymore. Overwhelmed by the sound, he pushed Marsilia away.

“Stop… ngh, stop it.”

Marsilia obediently withdrew his lips, but he didn’t move away. Instead, he kissed different parts of Jaha’s face as he asked,

“Are you okay?”

Catching his breath, which had grown rough at some point, Jaha shot back,

“What do you mean?”

Only then did Marsilia pull back slightly, gazing at him intently as he stretched his lips into a slow, knowing smile.

“You don’t seem to dislike kissing me.”

Jaha scowled slightly when Marsilia caught his hand just as he was about to touch his damp lips. As always, Marsilia kissed the back of his hand, but this time, he turned it over and kissed his palm as well.

Though his demeanor was solemn, his gaze was utterly provocative.

“For the first time, you are blushing, Jaha.”

“It’s just hot, that’s all.”

As he spoke, the sound of him swallowing echoed loudly. Embarrassed by his own unconscious reaction, his face grew even warmer. When Jaha turned his head to avoid Marsilia’s gaze, the man sighed as if disappointed.

The heat of Marsilia’s breath spread across his palm, making his fingers twitch involuntarily. He pressed his lips against the hollow of Jaha’s hand before finally letting go.

Jaha brought his freed hand to his chest, clenching it into a fist. His palm tingled, as if a tiny bolt of lightning had struck the spot where Marsilia had touched him.

Marsilia silently watched Jaha before leaning in a little closer.

“You tell me to stop, and yet…”

Expecting another kiss, Jaha turned his face away—only to be pulled into Marsilia’s embrace. With a quiet sigh, the man buried his head against Jaha’s shoulder.

“You’re too adorable… I can’t handle it.”

Marsilia tilted his head and kissed Jaha’s cheek before asking,

“Can’t I touch you a little more? Are you still only comfortable with kissing?”

Jaha chuckled at the faintly sulky tone in his voice. Gently pushing him away, Jaha sat up.

“You’re already impatient after just three days? Your patience is pitifully ridiculous.”

Though Jaha had barely applied any force, Marsilia dramatically collapsed onto the floor with a grumble.

“I’m at the peak of my youth.”

While Jaha gathered his tousled hair and tied it back up, Marsilia rolled on the ground, groaning like a restless beast. When Jaha finished preparing to head outside, he looked down at him and sighed.

At the sound, Marsilia sprawled out with his arms and legs stretched wide, a sullen expression on his face. Jaha crouched beside him and reached out.

As he stroked Marsilia’s hair, slicked back from his forehead, the man’s furrowed brow gradually smoothed.

“You worked hard standing guard. Get some rest.”

“And you?”

“I’m going to see if there’s anything I can help with.”

Marsilia, who had closed his eyes, opened them to look up at Jaha.

“You don’t have to do that.”

Jaha felt a bit uncertain—he thought he understood Marsilia’s intentions, but at the same time, he couldn’t help feeling a little left out. He wasn’t sure why he felt this way, so he simply smiled with a slightly crumpled expression.

“I just want to move around. Sitting still makes me restless.”

His Inner Energy was recovering visibly, so he wanted to start rebuilding his body as well. Since it wasn’t yet time to resume training, he figured he could at least help the knights with their work. It was a good opportunity to use his strength.

Marsilia sat up, chuckling soundlessly, and Jaha snorted dismissively at the sight.

“Go on, Jaha. Just don’t overdo it. Come back right away if you get tired.” After a pause, Marsilia stroked Jaha’s cheek with the back of his hand and added,

“Don’t stay out too long. I’ll get lonely.”

“Got it.”

Jaha stood up and stepped out of the tent, not sparing a thought for whatever expression Marsilia was making behind him.

Marsilia stared blankly at Jaha’s retreating figure. He hadn’t expected such a response, so his brain momentarily stalled in surprise.

A little while later, he lowered his head, covering his flushed face with his hands. His heart was pounding wildly over such a trivial exchange, as if it would break through his ribs.

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly, trying to calm his racing heart.

“This is driving me crazy.”

His lower body felt unbearably tense. With a sigh, he flopped back onto the ground, curling up.

The short grass beneath him, cut when the tent was set up, tickled his nose. The fresh scent of grass and earth spread lightly through the air.

As he inhaled the crisp fragrance, a smile crept across his lips.

Outside the tent, knights were hard at work, stripped to the waist. Those returning from the forest carried freshly cut logs, while those remaining at the camp stripped the bark, smoothed the wood, and left it to dry.

A large clearing had been made next to the camp, where rows of timber lay under the midsummer sun, slowly drying.

As Jaha approached, one of the knights peeling bark noticed him and spoke up.

“Do you need something, sir?”

Ian Yandel’s face was flushed from two days of working in the sun. The other knights were in a similar state, their bare backs reddening under the scorching heat.

Jaha glanced around before answering Ian.

“I thought you could use an extra pair of hands.”

Ian grinned, flashing white teeth.

“We’re actually short on tools, not hands. Please, take it easy and rest, sir.”

“Then I’ll at least help carry the logs.”

“Ah, the logging should be done by today. Once the wood is dry, we’ll start splitting it. Would you like to help then?”

Jaha nodded and asked,

“What are you making?”

Ian, struggling to strip bark with a scythe-like tool, answered with a grunt,

“They said we’re making ballistas.”

“What’s that?”

Ian paused, looking up with a puzzled expression before explaining,

“It’s a giant bow. It’s fixed to the ground and, since it’s so large, it uses long, thick arrows. A properly crafted ballista can even pierce a castle gate.”

Ah, so they were preparing it to pierce the dragon’s scales. Not a bad idea.

Still, something felt odd. Weren’t most Western Continent knights nobility? They seemed far too skilled at this kind of labor.

“You all seem pretty familiar with this work.”

At Jaha’s comment, Ian grinned and stretched his arm over a wooden beam. With a smooth motion, a strip of damp bark peeled away.

“When you travel with His Majesty, you end up doing all sorts of things—repairing flood-damaged levees, helping rebuild homes, or crafting weapons when needed. Both the Black Knights and the Crimson Knights know how to make bows and spears at the very least.”

“Are weapons in short supply?”

“His Majesty often employs unconventional methods. We usually carry swords and shields, but sometimes we need different weapons. Waiting for reinforcements takes too long, so we just make do with what we have.”

Ian went on to explain how Marsilia had changed the way the knight order trained. In the past, their focus had been on swordsmanship and cavalry tactics, but now, they trained primarily in swordsmanship and archery.

Jaha frowned in curiosity.

“Why not just carry bows with you?”

“When His Majesty personally leads a campaign, he reduces the size of the force as much as possible. Most of the time, we can’t even bring squires. The fewer supplies we carry, the easier they are to manage. This time is an exception since it’s a large-scale deployment, so we brought additional weapons.”

“I see.”

Jaha asked one last question, something he’d been wondering about for days.

“Nobody seemed that surprised when I started speaking. Are the knights all just that unfazed by things?”

Ian looked at him with genuine surprise.

“Didn’t His Majesty heal you?”

Ah.

Jaha finally understood why none of the knights had reacted oddly. It was because they had absolute faith in their emperor.