Chapter 13: The Girl's feelings

Sun entered the room and it's light fell on my eyes. I opened by eyes, and first thing that entered my field of vision was Syl's sleeping face. Our hands, still interwined, rested between us. Syl was still sleeping, but her face sported an entrancing smile that almost suck me in. Syl smiled a lot on our journey together, but it always felt a little off. It was showing her emotions, yes, but not completly.

As I thought about that, her eyes wavered and slowly opened.

"Good morning."

"G-good," Syl's face turned a little red when our eyes met.

She's so cuuuuuttteeeeee!!!!!!

"Should we get breakfast?"

"Yeaaaah," her voice was soft and sweet.

With that we sit up, still holding hands.

"If you stay like that, you won't do any work," a slightly salty voice entered the room.

"Oh, Terrea, good morning."

"Good. Azu and I finished making breakfast so you two should go eat it," Terrea turned around, still visibly salty.

What come over her? She was really sweet yesterday…

As our hands separated, a weird cold sensation washed over me. I took a glance at Syl and noticed she hand a simmilar look on her face.

Wait, don't get gloomy, we are now engaged so we can cuddle as much as we want now! Though I don't know how marriage ceremonies work here…

We get out of the bed and I dressed myself in the clothes I came to this world in and went down to the dining room. There, I got to see Azu stuffing her cheeks with a bowl of milk porridge. It was still hot and steam rised up from it.

"Good morning Azu, how is your food?"

"Ghoood, shtill hotsh…" Azu smiled with her mouth still full, which made her look like a small rodent rather then a dwarf. I must say, she have this innocent cuteness of a child. If I didn't know she is a dwarf, I would thought she is just a human child like any other.

I took a wooden bowl as well and filled it with the milk porridge. Syl in the meantime walked down as well, so I prepared a bowl for her as well.

"Here you go, Syl," I handed her the bowl and she timidly accepted it.

"Ooh, I see," Azu, who finished her food, gave Syl a big grin.

"Wh-what do you see?"

"Oh, it's nothing, I'm going to take some Oxfolks with me to fix up the enclosure for the Spice deers. You don't need to worry, take your time eating breakfast," Azu grinned while looking at us and run out of the room through the back doors.

"W-wait! Azu you little!!!" Syl, completly red in face got up from her seat, but I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Let's let her be, we have food to eat. Let's enjoy breakfast just two of us together, okay?"

"Y-yeah..." Syl calmed down and sit down again, letting us enjoy our food. Watching her sitting right across from me, made me feel a tingle of happiness, and my face relaxed in a small smile.

Once we were done, I went out of the house as well. For today, I planed to check on the fields and then to go on the trip to the human town with all the monster materials we had collected so far. The fields were looking same as the day before so I just sprinkled them with water magic and went to check on the Oxfolks.

"Good morning elder, how are you guys doing?"

"It's good thanks to you chief. We finally got our kids to eat something else then just leaves and roots thanks to you providing for us. We will work hard to repay you," the elder bowed to me.

"It's fine, but why are you calling me chief? I'm no leader…"

"Oh, you most certainly are. Such a powerful mage and warrior, it's only right for someone like that to be in charge, you must have a lot of pursuers too, right?"

"I'm most certain that I do not and I don't need them. I'm a one-woman man. Anyway, I would like you to expand the moat to north, we will build your houses there. Oh, and build the fences too, if you find the time."

"What are you going to do, chief? It sounds like you are not going to be around."

"I'm going to human town. I need to sell of the monster materials and buy materials we lack, it's only a few days worth of travel on foot, but with my magic I should be back by evening."

"I see… we really came a long way, didn't we? We almost run into human territory which attacked us in the first place…"

"Well, I don't plan to stay there any longer then I need. I'm not really fond of the way they are doing things."

"Or really?"

"Mm-hm. I'm from a faraway land, over there we all live peacefully."

"Hmm, a land where humans and non-humans live peacefully together, what a dream," the elder looked up and a single tear escaped his eye.

Uh, sorry that lan dis in another world where no non-humans live… and wars appear from place to place too…

"Well, I gave you your orders, tools are prepared by the house. The dogs will be keeping watch for monsters. If any monsters appear leave them to the wolves and Syl."

"Yes, I will tell that to everyone," the elder bowed and left for the place where everyone else was happily bustling, preparing breakfast. I even saw one of the girls pressing her tit to make milk come out.

"Grr, too much fanservice this early in the morning…" I grumbled as I turned back, little embarrassed and walked to check on the wolves. They were lazing around like always, but to me it seemed like the males were more on edge then they usually were. "The time for birth is probably getting closer… why are the females calm though?"

Mistified by the wolves strange behaviour, I looked at the house and noticed Syl standing in the doors.

"Heading out to check on the deers?"

"Yeah. Heading out for the town?" Syl answeared and delivered her own question as she made her way over to me.

"Uh-huh," I grabbed her hand and we shared a hug.

"Umm…"

"Is something the matter?"

"No…"

"Hmmm, then, may I request a good bye kiss from my lovely wife?"

"Wh-what?! Oh… I mean… you can…" Syl closed in on me, her lips gently touching mine. It looked like all the training yesterday paid off. As her body pressed against me, I could feel her warmth.

I don't wanna let go…

"Um…" Azu made a little sound, accompanied by deadly glares from behind her, which I flatly ignored. I have nice time with my wife, don't interrupt.

"Alright, I will be back by evening. I will leave this place to you, okay?"

"Yes," Syl smiled at me and gave me one more kiss, "I'll be waiting."

Her bashful smile could take down cities and I swore to myself that I will do my utmost to get back as fast as I can.

※ Syl's POV

"Remember my words, little Sylnitta, witch that falls in love stops being a witch. Witch is someone who gains strenght from solitude and bad emotions. You have no need for love or happiness."

Those were always the words of my teacher, the Mandrake Witch. The only reason she picked up the weak and useless girl like I was at the time was that she wanted two things: experiment with elvish blood and have a pupil.

As an after effect of the experiments, my curses became much stronger, but I no loger was capable of feeling pain. I remember one time, I scrached my hand in kitchen and only realized that I did when I saw a pool of blood under my feet. Back then I was so scared that I refused to touch knife for a long time.

And now, the Oxfolk appeared. First I did not thought much of them, they were a collection of weak girls, children and some elderly. But! That lowly creature! Not only did she tried to seduce Tarumi right after they arrived, she even tried to do that right in front of me!!!

"…Jealousy is one of the strenghts of the witches, use it to power up your curses and bring despair to humans and demons alike…"

Those words echoed in my head as I stared at the girl. Maybe sencing my feelings, she gave me a big innocent smile. Sorry girl, but I see through your farce!

After the diner, I though we would finally have a slightly pieceful time and I lay down on my inpropu bed. This is weird… why is it so cold? Do I… feel lonely? Naaah, that can't be.

I stood up to get some fresh air and at the same moment a knock came from downstairs, and what do I see? That girl from before came to spend the night with us!!! My anger boiled even more then it did in the afternoon.

Soon after that we all went to sleep, but I was still uneasy. Something was bugging me and I couldn't put my finger on what this feeling really was.

I get out of the bed and walked into the hallway and she was there again… she wore skimpy, half seethrough negligée. She clearly had it stashed away in her small pouch, which was most likely magic item like the one I made for Tarumi. For a breef moment my mood turned happier, which confused me a little.

"You are too lightly dressed if you want to go to the toilet," I glared at her, but she just smiled, just like an innocent child caught in act of doing something it didn't know was dangerous, and went downstairs without saying anything.

A swell of emotions rised from my guts and flooded my mind. Almost without thinking I walked up to Tarumi's room and invaded his bed like humans do to other nations. The moment I sit down, I somehow eased up, a warm feeling spread through my body. Weird… it feels like when I went to sleep yesterday and the day before.

As I was sitting in the bed, Tarumi did something I did not expect. He hugged me and confessed his feelings in me. Somehow, that broke the dam in my mind and all those feelings of unease from my gut I felt before disappeared. The only thing left behind were the feelings of my heart hidden deep down. I felt as if a fire was lit inside me. No, it was more like the dying flame suddenly erupted, burning away everything in it's way.

"Let me ask you one more time. Sylnita Elmhaim, will you give me, Tarumi Sojka, the honor of being your husband?"

The fire's intensity rose even more. My head stopped being so cloudy I once again asked Tarumi if he is fine with a murderer like me. I am by no mean of the word a 'good person', I killed people and even years and decades later, I still don't feel that guilty about it.

"You and only you. No one else will do, and I would not accept anyone else."

No longer just a fire, but a raging inferno, I accepted his feelings as well as my own. The ring he hold in his hand slid on my left ringfinger like if it belonged there from the start.

Now, the only problem is what comes after this… right?

As a complete novice, I only overheard young girls in human towns speaking about this stuff when I was making my way through. I do not have any experience myself at all.

"So… um… will we seal it… with a kiss?"

Those cringey words that escaped my mouth were all I managed to get out from myself. I felt really embarrassed, but Tarumi complied anyway. His uneasy approach and the way our lips connected gave me a feeling that he was as inexperienced as I was. Somehow finding that comforting, we continued to kiss, perfecting our craft as we continued deeper into the night.

The next morning I woke up first… but seeing how I clinged to his arms, I got so embarrassed that I franticly pushed my hand up to our head level. Still though, I could not make my hand separate from his. Our fingers interwined, I smiled and fell asleep once again, feeling strangely happy and complete.

I don't know how how long I was asleep, but when I woke up, I saw Tarumi looking at me, he was smiling softly and it made me strangely embarrassed. Once we made it down, and our hands separated, I once again, felt a little lonely. Wait, we are m-married now, right? Which means we can be together every night… yeah! Even if I can't hold his hand right now, I can always hold it when we are alone!

My embarrassment subdued a little, but did not disappeared completly. We ate together and soon, Tarumi went on his way to the human town we visited together.

"Well, now that Mr. Tarumi left, let's have a talk," Terrea smiled coldly as she grabbed my shoulder.

"Yes. I want to know what happened without my knowledge, too," Azu smiled next to me, her previously cute face sporting a face of irritation.

"G-go easy on me please…"

"No." The two of them said in unison and pulled me to the house.

***

"So, let me get this stright. You only hold hands and kissed?!" Terrea had her eyes wide.

"Y-yeah…" for some reason, this made me really embarrased.

"That means… fufufuu, I can still—" Terrea had a wicked smile on her face so I grabbed her before she could say anything and stared at her.

"What, you still can?" I asked her with a hint of anger in my voice.

Probably scared wittless, she broke in cold sweat, my face was probably as scary as my voice.

"Nothin'…" she finally mumbled through my hand still gripping her jaw.

"Good," I released my hand, "Tarumi is my husband if you touch him, I will curse you and all your descendants. And you know I can."

"Yes, I've heard of the Platinum witch and her killing spree fifty years ago. I believe only dragons don't fear you."

"I never had need to use my curses on dragons. But yeah… I was quite the murderer… I confessed that to Tarumi and he still accepted me."

"Really? Sometimes it looks like Master can't be surprised by anything," Azu nodded.

"You said it. First thing when we arrived, he killed that bear, like if he already knew about us."

"That's becouse he did. The wolves smelled you so he send some to call for us and then he waited. Though, we could not expect that bear would be comming too," I smiled at Terrea who was sitting next to me.

The weather was nice and no monster appeared whole day long. The Oxfolks build the mold quite quickly and moved to picking trees to cut down. Some even started to collect clay at the base of the river in north and came running back with it so we could make bricks at least a little faster. Some of the Oxfolks could use fire magic, but had low output so they could only fire one brick at time. Never the less, they continued making these bricks which would later be used for Azu's smithy.

Everything went smoothly and we started prepare for diner when something happened. Sky turned darker in the east and looking over to that side, I noticed five shadows flying towards us. Not even a minute later, five giant dragons appeared from the clouds above out small settlement.

Tarumi, please come come back quickly…