SOTBW - 138

It was the last night of rest before the field deployment.

The knights of Romsoa continued to eat and drink late into the night. The knights’ quarters grew louder as the night deepened. The soldiers, leaving only a minimum number for guard duty, rested.

The mansion was quiet.

In the room, built with bricks but reinforced with wood to block the cold, the subtle scent of aged wood lingered in the air. The firewood stacked generously in the fireplace crackled and slowly collapsed into the flames, blackening as it burned and radiating heat.

When a small spark flew over the iron screen placed in front of the fireplace to prevent the ashes from scattering, Najane, who had been sleeping in Maximón’s arms, woke up.

The room, now bathed in darkness, was faintly illuminated by the warmth of the fire. Najane, staring at the flickering flames, glanced at the thick arm wrapped around her waist.

Fearing that Maximón might wake up, she carefully pushed his hand away, as gently as moving shards of glass. Slowly and cautiously, she got off the old bed. When she looked back, Maximón was still asleep. Sighing with relief, Najane threw on some random clothes and left the room.

The living room was slightly chilly. Najane, staring at the dead fire in the fireplace, looked for a candle. Once she lit it, the thick curtains hanging by the window came into view.

Seated on the sofa, she sifted through the scattered letters on the table. Hoping for a letter from Rockbell about finding Luna, she was disappointed to find that the letters were all from nobles or merchants trying to impress Maximón.

Putting down the candle holder, Najane leaned back into the sofa and closed her eyes. She felt like sleep wouldn’t come anymore, which was why she had left the bedroom. If she asked Maximón to let her sleep, he would make her so physically exhausted that she would faint…

Lifting her head back, Najane smiled softly and slowly opened her eyes. If she stayed away for too long, Maximón would wake up.

She grabbed a shawl to drape over her shoulders and headed for the kitchen. There was a side door made for the servants to pass through easily. She only intended to get some fresh air and return quickly.

Pushing open the side door quietly, the white breath of cold air blurred her vision. Najane, having recently avoided it, grabbed a cigarette and stepped out into the garden.

The night sky was filled with stars. She slowly inhaled the sedative-laced cigarette while carefully stepping on the icy grass. Trying to walk without making any noise, she suddenly heard a voice from beyond the wall.

“Ugh, damn it. It’s freezing. Can’t we get more firewood?”

It sounded like a soldier guarding the mansion. Tightening her shawl, Najane exhaled a puff of smoke quietly. She felt sorry for the soldiers suffering in the cold.

The soldier muttered curses under his breath before continuing in a hushed voice.

“Hey, you know what my cousin saw while guarding the main gate of the knights’ order today?”

“What did he see?”

“He saw the commander and that knight holding hands as they entered.”

“That knight?”

“Are you really this oblivious? The female knight. What’s her name, Najane or something.”

“Come on, what do you mean? Everyone knows what’s going on between them.”

“Dammit, some of us are too busy suffering from training to have time to fool around with women...”

“What are you talking about? We’ve had two days off.”

“Ah, you need money to buy a prostitute, don’t you?”

“Who told you to gamble, then?”

“Damn it, my salary is barely enough to survive... What am I supposed to do? Anyway, some people get to eat well and sleep warm in their homes while I’m freezing my ass off guarding here...”

The soldier muttered irritably, his voice becoming hard to decipher—whether he was angry or envious.

“Apparently, those women with the goat curse mark have something special about them... Is that why the commander is so obsessed with her?”

“Hey, you... watch your mouth, bastard. Keep talking like that and you might lose your head!”

“Shut up, no one’s around, who’s gonna hear?”

Facing the wall, Najane exhaled the smoke toward the ground, her face expressionless. The soldier continued talking, unaware of her presence beyond the wall.

“Everyone knows she’s rumored to be a former prostitute, and yet our commander has a good taste. That guy must be tired of poking around all those holes with different people, doesn’t make it fun anymore...”

“Hey, but I heard she’s really from a brothel?”

A soldier’s comrade asked in a serious voice.

“Ah, I’m telling you, it’s true. It’s definitely true if it’s the Sign of the Goat, not any other curse.”

“But…”

Just as his comrade was about to object, the kitchen’s side door, which had been rattling because the latch wasn’t working properly, was pushed open by the wind with a thud. In an instant, the area beyond the wall became quiet.

Najane, with a cigarette in her mouth, quietly smiled. The sound of footsteps crunching carelessly on the icy grass came from behind her.

The two soldiers, seemingly not hearing the sound, were silent for a moment before resuming their conversation.

“Ha, but she also uses a sword… Ah, that’s strange. I heard she was from a knightly family from another country…”

“She might have come to Noctis and worked as a prostitute to earn money. There are plenty of women like that here, aren’t there?”

“I guess…”

“Think about it, is Najane pretty? Is she a beauty?”

“She’s not exactly a beauty…”

“Exactly, you idiot. There’s always a reason when someone keeps a woman who’s not even pretty by their side. Isn’t it obvious?”

The soldier chuckled crudely.

His comrade, feeling uneasy about having this conversation, didn’t respond.

“You know it too. You know how well the girls from the black market brothels can move their hips. The Commander is hooked on that. Hey, I’ll bet my dick on it that this is the truth.”

Najane, who was toying with her almost-burnt cigarette, chuckled at the soldier’s boastful words. Najane glanced behind her without a word.

Even though it was dark because the moon wasn’t out, she could see that Maximón’s expression was stiff. Instead of saying anything, Maximón gently kissed Najane’s ear. Najane suppressed a laugh at the tenderness that contrasted with his murderous gaze.

“He said he’d bet his dick, Maximón.”

Najane laughed softly, as if she couldn’t believe what she had heard. The sound of her laughter traveled over the wall and tickled the soldiers’ ears.

A heavy silence descended on the other side of the wall, which had been quietly noisy. Najane could feel the fear of the soldiers who had become tense at the sound of her voice. Instead of telling him to do as he pleased with them, Najane lowered her gaze.

Maximón grabbed the wall with one hand and climbed up. Maximón’s dark green eyes, standing on the wall, shone darkly.

The two soldiers who discovered Maximón froze. Landing on the ground, he drew his crudely handled sword and drove one soldier against the wall, covering his mouth.

The slightly blunt tip of the sword was thrust into the soldier’s groin. The soldier struggled and forcibly swallowed his screams. The thing dangling between his legs was cut off with a squelch. Najane, standing beyond the wall, heard the faint whimpers and took the last drag of her cigarette.

The soldier’s comrade sat down by the bonfire, staring blankly at the bloodstains soaking his pants. The soldier, unable to bear the pain of having his genitals cut off, fainted. He had lost a lot of blood, so he wouldn’t last long.

Maximón tore the soldier’s trousers and calmly retrieved the severed genitals from between his legs, where blood was gushing. Stabbing the genitals with his sword as if picking up a sausage with a fork, Maximón glanced at the soldier’s comrade.

“Call Joshua to clean up the bodies.”

The comrade nodded his head dozens of times with a terrified expression. Maximón, holding the sword, climbed onto the wall. Najane, her complexion pale from the cold wind, looked up at Maximón as if looking at a cute stray cat.

He sat on the wall and held out his sword. Najane recoiled as if disgusted by what was impaled on the tip of the sword. It was as if she was horrified by a bug. Maximón smiled faintly at Najane’s prim reaction and shook the sword.

“Since that bastard guaranteed it by betting his dick, I cut it off and brought it, but you don’t like it?”

“It’s gruesome.”

“Hmm, I was going to give it as a present.”

“Something like that?”

Najane took a step back, looking disgusted. Maximón smiled like a prankster and threw the sword far away.

Najane took a few steps away from the wall and looked at Maximón. When she looked at him, she was overwhelmed by a feeling of emptiness, as if all the light in the world had gone out.

Maximón, sitting on the wall, was like the master of the deep and distant night. It was as if the god of twilight had descended here secretly from the sun to save Najane, who was about to die drowned in light.

Even without the moonlight, Najane could see Maximón. Her eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, and Maximón shone as brightly as a star.

The tender violence that saved me.

The freedom that dyed my soul black.

The love that burned away the obsessions I carried.

“…Maximón.”

Najane called Maximón in a calm voice.

“Do you love me?”

Maximón stared at Najane with burning eyes. Jumping down from the wall, he walked towards Najane and kissed her. The hem of his clothes, fluttering as if about to be torn apart by the cold wind, smelled of blood.

Maximón embraced Najane’s cool body and replied.

“I love you.”

Maximón cupped Najane’s cheek with his blood-soaked hand.

“I love you, Najane.”

Maximón’s pupils trembled slightly as he pressed his forehead against Najane’s.

“It was a lie that I didn’t love you…”

His usually cold and still dark green eyes wavered aimlessly. Najane didn’t reply. At her silence, Maximón lowered his gaze as if shaken.

Maximón spoke desperately, as if begging for a response to his feelings.

“…I love you.”

“……”

“I love you.”

“……”

“I love you, I love you, I love you, Najane… So please…”

At that moment, Najane kissed Maximón, who was begging for an answer. Warm breath and white vapor scattered between their touching lips.

Maximón responded to Najane’s kiss with a look of rapture. Embracing her cold body, he kissed her more passionately than ever. Najane held tightly onto Maximón’s hand that cupped her cheek and gladly accepted the affection that flooded into her mouth.

Blood congealed between their hands, clasped tightly together like intertwined vines.

Najane breathed heavily and looked at Maximón.

“I love you, Maximón.”

Najane’s face, stained with blood and blush, was more radiant than ever.

________________________________________

The two, who had entered through the side door, were hastily intertwined, like separated streams merging into a rapid torrent. Maximón caressed Najane’s cool neck, as if he had been doused with cold water, and undressed her. Najane, who was instantly naked, embraced Maximón’s neck and kissed him.

Maximón lifted Najane’s thighs and moved, kissing her impatiently. Their intertwined tongues tasted sweet. He couldn’t believe it. Hearing Najane say she loved him felt like a dream. He pressed his lips against hers until he was almost out of breath, as if trying to confirm that it wasn’t a dream.

The wriggling, soft tongue ignited Maximón’s impatience. Maximón moved roughly, as if trying to move Najane’s tongue into his own mouth. The tongue that entered his mouth and moved wildly was very cute and endearing. He was beyond happy, he was going crazy.

He swallowed all the saliva that Najane let flow into his mouth. His lips, smeared with saliva, were hot and slippery. Maximón slowly laid Najane down on the bed, without breaking the kiss. Najane’s cheek, touched by the light of the fireplace, was stiff and covered in blood.

Maximón hastily threw off his top. He also had to take off his pants, but he was so impatient that he couldn’t take them all the way off and ended up embracing Najane. He licked the blood from Najane’s cheek. He was like a puppy licking a wound. Najane burst into laughter at the ticklish sensation.