The next morning, when Kael awoke, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted him. Still half asleep, he tried to get up, but something heavy prevented him.
-Mhnnng... Why do I feel so heavy...?" He looked sideways, discovering the cause:
Two women, stark naked, were clinging to his arms, their quiet breaths tickling Kael's body.
- "How did I get here? Yesterday I was with Sile and... Oh." The only explanation Kael could come up with was to hold "that" guy responsible.
- "Haa... Every time I lose consciousness, he does what he wants. However, this is a bit..." His gaze began to roam over the bodies of both women, hoping to remember a bit of what happened the night before.
- "Kael? Are you awake yet?" One of the women slowly pulled away from him, rubbing her eyes.
- "G-Good morning?" Kael looked away from the woman's exposed body, who was looking at him curiously.
- "Don't tell me you're embarrassed? I don't think it's possible after all the things you did to us last night~"
- "Heh heh~ He's right, you were so... Wild yesterday."
The other woman seemed to have been awake for a while, waiting for the moment to join the conversation.
-"..." Kael was speechless. -(What the heck did that guy do...? I don't even know who they are!)
- "There's something different with you... Yesterday you were so full of confidence and cool..."
- "Yeah, that's true... But now, it's not bad either. You're so cute... What do you say, do you want to have some fun right now?" The woman licked her lips provocatively, and crossed glances with her "accomplice". She nodded and they approached Kael-
-"Honey! Forget something!"
-"!!" Both women were startled to hear the man's voice outside the room.
- "I-it's my husband! What do we do? Uuuhh..."
- "Calm down, if he hears you he'll come here and find us out. I don't want him to tell my husband!"
- "Ehh, are you married?"
- "Shhh!" Both women silenced Kael.
-"..."
- "I'm sorry, but you have to go. Out the window, quick!"
- "I understand... I'm sorry for the trouble." While Kael was not at fault, he felt somewhat responsible due to the fact that it was still his body.
He quickly got dressed and jumped out the window, which fortunately wasn't too high.
◈ ◈ ◈
After that, he was walking around the village for a while, looking for the inn.
- "Come to think of it... What could have happened to Sile? The last thing I remember is my left hand piercing her chest..." As usual, he failed to remember anything. It was as if a void or abyss formed in his head as the "Being" controlled his body.
Before he knew it, he arrived at the Stag Inn. Uncertainty and fear began to spread through his chest.
A few moments later, he entered the inn. There, the same customers were drinking and chatting at their tables. Behind the bar stood Seamus, preparing different drinks with great skill.
-"Mhmm? Oh, it's you Kael, come closer." With his usual friendly smile, he waved him over and beckoned him closer.
Silently, Kael approached and took a seat at one of the seats at the bar.
- "I see you were out for a walk. In the morning I went to your room but no one was there."
- "Y-Yeah, sorry. I wanted to get to know the place a little." He averted his gaze slightly; lying to Seamus filled him with guilt.
- "I see, it's good to see someone taking an interest in my home village. Unfortunately, there aren't many tourist spots, so it must have been kind of boring, right?"
- "Oh, not at all, it's a nice place. But..."
Noticing Kael's hesitation, Seamus said to him:
- "Relax, you can talk confidently with me."
-"It's just... I get the feeling that the atmosphere is kind of... heavy. Most people seems lifeless."
- "Mhmm, so that's it. It's just that no merchants have been coming through here for a while, so there's a shortage of 'basic commodities'. I try to help with whatever I can, but I also have a business to take care of, and that makes things complicated."
- "I'm sorry to hear that. Still, Mr. Seamus is very kind, eh. Not many people would do something like that for someone else."
- "Ho ho, you'll make this old man blush, young man." A jovial chuckle escaped him.
- "But I don't think I'm being kind... I'm just repaying the kindness this place extended to me. And also the favor she-"
- "Favor?"
- "Ho ho, don't mind me, it's just an old man's ramblings. Tell me, are you hungry?"
- "Oh, no, I'm- *Grurrr* His words were interrupted by the complaints of his stomach, hungry due to not eating anything since the night before.
- "All right, I'll have Sile fix you something. Wait a minute."
- "Okay- Wait, is Sile here?!" Sweat poured down Kael's forehead, his lips began to dry and his heart was pounding.
-(Is Sile alive? I remember how "that" guy ended her life, how is it possible? W-What do I do...? What if she says i attack her? This is bad...)
Hundreds of scenarios, one worse than the previous one, formed in Kael's mind.
- "Is something wrong? I heard my name."
-"!!" A woman's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. With trepidation, he raised his head and what he saw was-
-"You called me, boss?" A middle-aged woman came out of the kitchen, her hair, long to her waist, was an ashen gray and her skin was adorned with spots and wrinkles, unmistakable signs of age. She was wearing the same uniform that Kael knew, revealing her legs and her wrinkled ass, as well as her flabby breasts. What surprised him most, however, was that in the area near her chest, a small plaque with what appeared to be her name had written on it:
"Sile".