Chapter 147

Grace collapsed due to Kara’s unexpected actions and was immediately taken away for medical attention.

As usual, a Barrier was generated the moment she fainted.

However, just as it was explained that she would be taken away, the Barrier disappeared as if it had a teleportation device installed. It seems this will allow for a safe evacuation.

Lee Yeon-joo also returned to the base as Grace was taken away, offering us an awkward smile.

Thus, it was just Kara and me left. Normally, we would have chatted and played around like usual, but this time it felt like it would be tough.

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

A silence, like that of a dead mouse, sank between us.

Kara lowered her head, her face flushed bright red, while I sat beside her, biting my lip.

I could still vividly remember the sensation of our lips touching. It was a feeling I had never experienced even back on Earth.

At first, I wondered what had happened, but it dawned on me now. Kara had definitely kissed me.

And it was right in front of Grace’s eyes. It would be weird if I didn’t know her feelings by now.

‘······But when did this start?’

I casually glanced at Kara, who kept her mouth tightly shut and stared at the ground.

I had slowly come to realize that Kara had feelings for me, beyond just friendship. It was just that I wasn’t entirely sure.

Living in the Forest had dulled my senses, and I couldn’t recall any similar experiences back on Earth.

There was no reason for a beautiful and charming girl like Kara to approach me first. If anything, it was fresh and new.

‘What should I do in a situation like this…’

Kara was probably grappling with her own thoughts as well, but I was confused too. If this continued, it would only make our relationship awkward.

It might be better to clarify things outright. But I was at a loss as to what to do.

While we had kissed, it felt more like an impulsive action from Kara. It was really ambiguous.

“······Sivar.”

Just then, while trying to get my head around everything that was happening, Kara, still looking at the floor, quietly spoke up.

I turned my head, and our eyes met just as she was looking at me. As soon as our gaze locked, she quickly looked away again.

Blushing, she fidgeted, scratching her head. It was clear she was unsure of what to do.

“Um… do you know what that kiss meant?”

“A peck?”

“······You know well. Right, a light kiss is just a peck.”

Silence stretched between us, a long, heavy silence. I had nothing in particular to say, so I remained quiet.

This was probably Kara’s first time dealing with something like this too. I desperately wracked my brain for knowledge about the Soul World.

When the player was male and not female, the level of affection didn’t change. It was just a close female friend.

It meant there were rarely any clear expressions of romantic affection. Even with close friends, light kisses were almost nonexistent.

If there was a stage transitioning from friend to girlfriend, that’s another question. Thinking back, I seemed to have built up Kara’s affection steadily.

“······Do you know what that means?”

Kara, who had been maintaining her silence, cautiously asked again.

I pondered how to explain and decided to keep it simple and clear. In times like these, directness is the key.

“Someone you like. Eli taught me.”

“Exactly. It’s something people do when they like each other.”

“Kara, do you like me?”

“··· ···”

As I threw the straightforward question, she fell silent. At the same time, her brown skin turned even redder.

I felt that knowing her answer would influence my next steps. Honestly, I was a bit concerned about this issue as well.

Once I had finished all the stories in this world, I would have to return.

Even though a few years had passed, my affection for my hometown hadn’t faded.

I had to contemplate whether I could pour enough affection to abandon it or if I would remain in this ambiguous relationship.

“······It would be a lie to say I don’t like you. Even if I said I didn’t, it’d be a lie.”

“So?”

“I do like you. That’s the truth.”

Kara confessed her feelings calmly but confidently. The smile on her face suggested she felt relieved.

Yet, her words were rather vague. What was holding her back from saying more?

Kara seemed to pick up on this as she raised her head and looked ahead.

“But you know what? There are actually a lot of people who like you. Especially girls.”

“······?”

“By the looks of you, it seems like you really don’t know. Just now, Grace made that clause about you. Eli and Luna probably feel similarly.”

After hearing that, I realized it might be true. Grace had put a strange clause in place under the pretext of preserving her chastity.

Whenever I acted spoiled, Eli had always warmly accepted me, even saying I could come at any time.

As for Luna… I wasn’t so sure. She felt more like a companion, but apparently, it didn’t seem that way to others.

Of course, that was just my perspective; Kara’s view of her was likely different.

“So, this might happen more in the future. The more rumors spread, the more active they will become.”

“What about you?”

“I care more about your feelings. Sivar, have you ever felt love?”

“··· ···”

I avoided her gaze. I couldn’t muster the courage to look into Kara’s smiling eyes.

“Even if you haven’t felt it, you likely have a rough idea since Eli taught you. But it’s more important to feel it directly than just know about it.”

“Um…”

“You’ll naturally understand once you get comfortable with this Civilization and your human relations become more intricate. But it’s not quite yet.”

Kara patted my head as she spoke. Some of what she said was right, and some was wrong, but I just stayed still.

Wasn’t there a saying that the interpretation of a dream is more important than the dream itself? It’s probably best not to mention that I was the dark side of an adult.

“So when you realize it later, you can choose. Who among those who like you will you pick? If you’re concerned, you can also choose them all.”

“Is that allowed?”

“There’s no reason it shouldn’t be! I may be a princess, but I’m also close to my position. Tartar has always elected its chieftains through votes. Even after building the nation, it remained the same.”

Now that I think about it, Tartar’s political structure is quite fresh compared to other nations. It’s almost democratic in nature.

Nomadic living tends to favor elders, thus naturally leading to becoming chiefs or chieftains.

But Tartar elects based on who is deemed the wisest through votes.

That method continued even after the establishment of the nation and transformed into democracy.

“There’s no guarantee I’ll be the next king. My father said I could live according to what my heart desires.”

“··· ···”

“More than anything… I have something to apologize for.”

“Apologize?”

Did Kara really have anything to apologize for? Was she referring to when Hector had unexpectedly challenged me?

As I tilted my head, puzzled, Kara hesitated, fidgeting with her words. It seemed to be a sensitive topic for her.

She then glanced at me, sighed, and ruffled her hair. It appeared to be a rather complicated matter.

“······Never mind. I’ll tell you later. I wonder if they’ll serve drinks at the freshman banquet? That seems like a good time to bring it up.”

“Is it something bad?”

“It’s definitely bad. Horribly so. It’s enough to make me disgusted with myself.”

That seemed pretty serious. But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find any wrongdoing on her part.

Most of my memories with Kara were nothing but pleasant ones. Except for that time she beat me up during the Duel.

Moreover, even that Duel had left no hard feelings as time passed. Our relationship remained good, just like now.

“So, it’s okay to take your time deciding. Let’s just pretend that kiss… never happened, alright?”

“Yeah.”

“You respond well. Honestly, I can’t bring myself to give you up for being so cute.”

Kara pinched my cheek affectionately. When I think about it, such actions were also a way of expressing affection.

We spent some time chatting about various things after that. I suppose our bond had grown a bit stronger due to this incident.

However, we didn’t solidify anything. I felt sorry for Grace just now and thought I wasn’t ready to handle such a commitment.

“So, please take it easy. Don’t break everything around. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, and about that singing…”

“Ebevebe.”

I plugged my ears and made a strange noise. That’s something I’d ignore.

Although both Kara and Lee Yeon-joo had witnessed my embarrassing moment firsthand, it was an issue I could address slowly.

Kara chuckled at my antics and returned to her home. There were many things to do at the freshman banquet, but I sensed there would be personal matters with Kara as well.

‘But how did my affection level rise? I don’t understand.’

Let’s think about it thoroughly. Starting with Eli.

Eli’s favorability surely rose because I saved her from the monkey. That’s something I can understand to some extent.

The same goes for Grace. If I hadn’t rescued her, her chastity would have been ruined, and we would never have seen each other again.

These two make sense, but I can’t figure out Luna at all.

To others, it might seem like Luna has a crush on me.

‘Did she spill the beans while I was away?’

That’s the most probable scenario. I think I need to ponder this some more.

Just as I was reflecting after Kara left, indulging in music, I focused purely on crafting instead of dancing.

“Sivar! Sivar! Are you here?!”

“?”

“Ah! There you are! Sivar!”

Just as I was lost in my sculpture, Grace’s anxious voice reached my ears.

I looked up to see Grace rushing over, appearing quite urgent from her expression.

“Where’s that Kara person?! Where is she?!”

“She left.”

“She, she left? Without making a contract?”

“Yeah.”

“Aaah…”

Thud—

It seems hearing that Kara left had completely drained her. Grace dropped to the floor in shock.

From the looks of it, she must have rushed over here right after reviving. Given her stamina as a sorceress, this must have been quite taxing.

As I approached her sitting form, I turned my head upon sensing a different presence.

“Oh, there you are. I could hear music, what’s going on?”

It was Luna. Earlier she had come with Lee Yeon-joo, but given the urgency, she seemed to have followed alone.

I helped Grace up while she was surveying the area. I brushed aside her hair that was stuck to her forehead due to the sweat.

“Are you okay?”

“Haah…”

Grace sighed deeply in response to my concern. She slowly lifted her head to face me.

Her previously sharp gaze softened slightly, but before long, her expression returned to its serious state.

I was relieved that she seemed more composed, but her next action surprised me.

Thud—

“Huh?”

“Normally, I would include this in the contract, but…!”

Grace grabbed my face with both hands. Just like Kara did a moment ago.

I felt a mix of surprise and unease as I thought, “Could it be…” just as Grace pulled my face in.

Smooch!

Much like what Kara had done, I felt the moist sensation on my lips. But with Grace, there was something different about it.

While the lip lock itself was fine, the pull was a lot stronger. It felt less like a kiss and more like she was trying to devour me.

Thankfully, there were no tongues involved. It was essentially just a more intense version of a peck.

“This is all she did, right? I can offer you more!”

Smooch— Smooch— Smooch!

The problem was, this was not a one-time event. After the lips, she continued on to my cheeks, chin, neck, and so forth, showering kisses all over my face.

I was left dumbfounded, unable to even push her away. I just stood there like an idiot.

“Hoo… I think this would be enough now. You probably don’t remember her touch anymore, right?”

“··· ···”

The intensity made it a problem. My face was tingling from all her kisses.

Just as I was trying to comprehend the situation, I felt a gaze and turned my head. And there stood one spectator.

“Wow…”

For some reason, Luna was staring with her mouth agape, completely taken aback.

Why are you impressed by this?

[Your Faith is Rising!]

Well, I saw that coming.

******

On the professors’ side…

“Luna’s going to be shocked.”

“Indeed. Just look at her gaping mouth… It seems this was quite an impact.”

“Her grades might drop now. But since this is a personal matter, we can’t really help her.”

They were watching a dramatic spectacle unfold.

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