[Physis' POV]
As soon as I entered the bedroom, Adilun nestled in my arms. Her soft body and the sweet scent began to linger in my nose.
"Isn't it a bit of a shame to just go to sleep like this?"
"Well, it is... But we shouldn't exhaust ourselves too much, so maybe it's better to just rest today."
"Mm... Is that so?"
"That's why, let's just..."
I said that and pressed my lips against hers. A kiss that never gets tiring no matter how many times I share it. Softness lingered on my lips, and a dizzying sensation spread through my entire body.
This must be what they call ecstasy. Every time I embraced her or our lips met, I felt this ecstasy.
Well, if I didn't feel this ecstasy despite having such strong affection for her, it would be a lie.
"Um..."
A moan of regret lingered in my ears from slightly parted lips, but I pretended not to notice.
I pulled her head close and held her in my arms.
It was warm.
There was no need for any sentiment. The comforting and calming scent began to fill my whole body. I just cherished this moment. Even without sharing our love or locking lips...
Just holding her in my arms, feeling her warmth, this moment was more precious than any other.
Words I wanted to keep to myself still circled inside me. The words "I love you."
I was afraid if I said it too much, it might wither away someday, or it might lose its impact. It was not an easy decision, but now, facing a battle that might be dangerous, I thought it was okay.
Carefully, I opened my mouth.
"I love you, Adilun."
"Ah..."
A stifled moan escaped her lips. Even without looking, I knew what expression she would have right now. Her face must be flushed, with a happy smile, I imagined.
As I expected, when she briefly left my embrace and faced me, Adilun's face showed the expression I had anticipated.
She was looking at me with a joyful smile.
"Do you know what?"
"What?"
"This is the first time you said you love me."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Come to think of it... It really is. I'm sorry."
Adilun looked puzzled by my words.
"Why are you suddenly apologizing?"
"I thought If I say it too often, it might lose its impact... So, I intentionally didn't say it much."
"Lose its impact?"
"Yes, when words become too familiar, they might not bring the initial excitement anymore. If saying 'I love you' becomes that way, it might make me a bit sad."
"Hmm... I don't think that's the case."
"Really?"
"Yes. If you think you love me, please keep expressing it. Of course, as you said, it might lose some of its novelty, but even if I hear it every day, it will still be a new phrase to me. I believe your words will always have that effect on me."
"Then, I'll say it more often from now on."
"Sure."
"Now, let's get some rest. Starting tomorrow, we'll be quite busy."
"...Alright. Still..."
Once again, her lips touched mine as softly as a feather, but unlike before, they parted quickly. Adilun, with a slightly puzzled expression, spoke to me.
"We should always have a goodnight kiss, right?"
"Haha. Yes. Goodnight, Adilun."
I lightly kissed her back, and then turned off the lights in the room.
In the room, faint moonlight illuminated us as I held her tightly, keeping her in my embrace while falling asleep.
It was the most comfortable sleeping arrangement I've had so far.
* * *
As the dawn broke, and the sunlight gradually brightened, my eyes naturally opened.
When was the last time I slept so comfortably? With a joyful sigh, I looked at Adilun, who was always stunning no matter when I saw her.
Quietly closing her eyes, with a content and satisfied smile on her lips, I could see Adilun's face the moment I woke up. That alone made me feel good all day.
"Mm..."
With a slight moan, Adilun opened her eyes.
"Uh... Physis?"
With eyes that seemed dazzled, she furrowed her brows slightly. Then, as she finally recalled that we had slept in the same room yesterday, she smiled playfully with drowsy eyes.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Uh, yes. Did you sleep well too?"
"I slept well because of you. So, do you want to sleep a bit more? Everything in our plan depends on your condition..."
"No, I'm awake now. Sigh..."
"Really? Then let's get up and wash up."
"...Shall we wash together this time? We've already seen each other's bodies before anyway."
"...Sure."
At the morning proposition, I nodded my head. Frankly, how could I resist such a seductive approach?
The room we stayed in was one of the best accommodations in the Ice Wall castle. Not only was it spacious, but it also had a large bathtub powered by magic.
So... there was more than enough space for the two of us to get into the bathtub together, and because of that, we could intimately touch each other's naked bodies, something we hadn't done in a while.
The funniest thing was Adilun's reaction. After seeing my naked body again, she smiled softly. Then, she pressed her body against mine.
For a moment, blood rushed to my lower regions, but I managed to restrain myself and got into the bathtub.
"No matter how I think about it, I think your patience is really amazing."
When she made a teasing complaint, I could only give an awkward smile.
"Because we're not in a situation to do that right now."
"Then how are you going to handle all that pent-up energy later?"
"Well, maybe you'll know when the time comes. It's not too far off. When that time comes, you should be prepared."
"You should be the one preparing. After all, I asked you to train my stamina to avoid getting tired during the subjugation."
'Huh?'
"Wait a minute, then you say that you train your stamina in order not to get tired in the subjugation party..."
"Hehe. I lied. I did mention that I might be lacking in mana, but I have no shortage of mana at all. I simply use mana directly from nature. It's the most potent ability of a dragon."
"...Got me there."
"You should be prepared for it, you know? Even with just this much, I have plenty of talent when it comes to using my body."
"I know that very well. Dragons are indeed quite an unreasonable existence."
"And you hate your dragon fiancée for that?"
"No way."
I suddenly pulled her close.
"If I didn't like it, I wouldn't have hugged you like this."
"Hehe, I knew you'd say that."
"Seriously, be prepared. Once we get through this, I might not let you sleep for a week."
"You should be the one preparing. I don't plan to leave the honeymoon suite until I get pregnant."
"Who do you think will win?"
"Alright."
A small bet began. However, all of these exchanges and jokes were meant to ease the tension about the upcoming monster subjugation.
Even if we tried to hide all signs, entering the territory of those lurking monsters was quite dangerous. Some of them might even be able to see through invisibility magic.
But if we didn't do it, the Ice Wall wouldn't withstand the attacks of higher-ranked monsters compared to the numerous lower-ranked ones.
So, we needed to minimize the number of adversaries whenever possible.
"Well, let's quickly take a bath and then have a meal."
"Sure. Oh, do you want me to wash your back?"
"...Let's wash each other."
"Oh my, how mischievous of you."
"If we're talking about mischievousness, you'll probably surpass me by far."
"Hehe, you caught me?"
"Actually, since the last picnic, I can't tell whether you're a fox or a dragon."
"Should I attach a tail next time? A fox tail, or maybe a dragon tail? Well, as the dragon's blood becomes more evident, who knows, some strange things might happen, and a tail might appear next time. I don't know much about my own body either."
"Any dragon crest?"
"Ah, that. I can talk about the dragon crest. It hasn't manifested yet. Maybe once I fully awaken... a crest might appear?"
"Isn't the crest a weakness?"
"It is a weakness, but it's also like a core that contains the essence of natural magic. From then on, I won't have any restrictions when using magic. According to the records, the ancestral dragon Altair had a dragon crest in one part of his body, but since then, there have been no dragons with manifested crests."
"A weakness that sounds even more dangerous..."
"Well, yes. But with you around, it should be fine, right?"
"...Yes."
Smiling at each other, we began to gently caress and wash each other's bodies with great care. Of course, it was excruciating to restrain the desire that surged each time, but I endured it with great effort, knowing that there was something more important waiting for us once this task was done.
By the way, in many ways, I couldn't help but notice how Adilun became more alluring as the days passed. I was starting to wonder what would happen if we took it all the way to marriage.
Anyway, we finished all the preparations, and after quickly joining Sir Lucas and the other eight knights who were waiting for us in front of the command center, we climbed the Ice Wall Citadel.
It was the beginning of the actual subjugation. I sincerely hoped that we would all come out of this unscathed.
We would undoubtedly make it happen.