CH 31

Ayla transferred energy to him and made him feel much better, but his body was still weak and limp. It was hard to release his tension. Nevertheless, Rayan didn’t go back and went forward.

The road felt long. 

He swam up slowly, but as usual the light did not penetrate. Usually around this time the light streamed in. When he slightly stuck his head out, neither the moon nor the stars were visible. The hazy clouds swallowed all the twinkling stars.

Was it about to rain? The rain wasn’t too much of a problem for him. The water flow was rougher than usual, too. Rayan easily cut his way through the water and took a position on the side overlooking the castle.

As usual, the castle was bright.

He just stared at it, but he didn’t dare to go to the cave. He was afraid that Erich would stand guard again. 

Not today. At least he didn’t want to face him with a sickly face. He had to look even a little better so that Erich could be shaken and give up his heart to him.

Rayan, who had been staring blankly at the castle, pricked his ears up at the sound of music coming from somewhere. It came quite a distance, so it’s not a sound coming from the castle. Rayan listened to it and turned his body in the direction of the music. Noticing a boat anchored not too far away, his eyes widened.

“… A treasure ship?”

No. He corrected his thoughts. It was similar to a treasure ship wrecked and sunken in the depths of the ocean, but a little different. The towering pillar was taller and sharper than that, and the red silk cloth was suspended and fluttered with the wind. Ah. Yuri had told him before. Humans float boats in the sea and play.

He had never seen it even though he had come out often for several years, so if it was usual, he would have snuck up to see it out of curiosity, but this time his eyes went away once and for all. His disinterested gaze turned to the castle.

“…”

He had to go back. But the body did not move according to the mind.

He thought he would only look at it from afar, but he missed it when it was nowhere to be seen. It was better when he was in Atisa. At that time, he was able to endure it because he couldn’t see it at all, but now that he was seeing it, his originally shallow patience quickly ran out. Rayan shook his head and clenched his fists before the dilemma stirred him up. 

In the end, Rayan counted to himself.

Ten. He would just count to ten and go back.

One, two… Rayan counted the numbers very slowly in his mind. He even counted up one by one with his fingers. At the count of five, one of his hands folded neatly. Six. Then, as he counted the number, he folded one more finger, and then water droplets fell.

“Huh?” 

The moment he raised his head, it dropped into his eyes, and Rayan involuntarily blinked his eyes.

“… Rain?”

It seemed to come. The rain, which had fallen a drop or two, quickly intensified. The wind blew and the waves swelled. The sea was originally a fickle being that was hard to fathom. Although mild, it quickly became violent. So those people were out of luck. It’s because they played with the sea on a day like this.

The music stopped, and soon screams filled the air. 

Because of the storm, even the huge sailing ship lost its balance and swayed. The stretched fabric was pulled taut in the wind. Rayan could only hope for their safety, but could not help. It was unacceptable to appear in front of so many people.

“Then…”

Should he secretly rescue the people who fell off? Thinking about it, he shook his head. He shouldn’t be involved. Rescuing Erich was a rare case.

However, perhaps his earnest desire for them to be safe had reached them, the boat moved slowly towards the shore, rocking and swinging. Besides, the storm was still strong, but the shaking had subsided. 

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“Rayan.” 

It was a letan who caught Rayan as he tried to return. At first, they were a little difficult for him, but soon they treated Rayan comfortably and often came to him first.

“There is a person missing.”

“Person?”

“If you leave it as it is, he will die.” 

It was in the middle of the sea. Besides, even the storm was so strong that it was far from easy for humans to survive.

“But…”

It would be a big deal if his true identity was discovered while recklessly searching for the missing person. When he saved Erich in the past, how surprised and wary he was that he remembered and chased after him.

“It looks like your human.” 

“What?”

While he was conflicted on what to do, Rayan stopped thinking for a moment at that line. My human. When Erich and him were hanging out and playing in the sea, the letan was also with them from time to time.

He didn’t have to ask if it had been mistaken. Rayan swam without the slightest hesitation. His languid, heavy body didn’t even bother him. He became desperate with impatience.

Rayan quickly went to the place where the boat was earlier. There were only surging waves, no humans. 

“… Sigh.”

Where was he? Could it be that he had already drifted away?

“Erich?”

The sea was indeterminable. He could have gone anywhere, and Rayan’s ability to detect was limited. Rayan thrusted his head into the water and scanned into the depths. The sea hidden by the light was pitch black. 

“Erich!”

A cry was scattered in the pouring raindrops. Rayan’s eyes were busy moving around. He clasped his hands and controlled the surging nervousness.

He had blonde hair that shone brighter than the sun. Even if he was immersed in the dark, it would shine brightly. Rayan caught his breath and looked around more slowly than before. He didn’t forget to tell the letan, who was hovering around him, to tell him as soon as it found Erich.

“… Uh?” 

It seemed that he could see something shining from the corner of his eyes, as if responding to his earnestness. It could have been an illusion created by his desperation, but Rayan quickly turned to that direction.

“Erich!”

It was Erich. He took a short breath, and was repeatedly swallowed by the current. Rayan quickly breathed into him and took him to land.

Returning to the cave where they usually met, Rayan sent him up to the ground. Erich frowned and coughed up the water he had swallowed for a long time while Rayan looked at him with worried eyes. 

“Are you okay?”

“… Salty.”

Rayan stuck out his tongue and licked his wet lips. Was this salty? It was still difficult to understand human taste. Of course, it was an undeniable fact that there were masterpieces like cakes and cookies.

“…” 

Anyway, he was surprised to see that he looked better than he thought, and his heart calmed down little by little. It was good to see Erich, whom he had only dreamed of for days, in reality. At the same time, he felt a little regretful. It was true that he wanted to see him, but he didn’t intend to see him this close.

Confirming that he was alright, he wondered if it was okay to go back while Erich still seemed disoriented. Rayan averted his eyes and slowly pulled his body back into the water.

“Where are you going?”

However, he was quickly stopped by Erich. Rayan had no choice but to make eye contact with Erich, who seemed more calm than before. He held onto Rayan’s wrist as if he was afraid the other would run away. 

“You. You come as you like, and you go as you like.”

The mumbled voice was not as clear as usual. It wasn’t to the extent that Rayan couldn’t understand it, but it did feel unfamiliar.

“And why is your body so hot?”

“You are the one who’s cold.” 

It wasn’t wrong as he was still feverish, but it was also true that Erich’s body temperature was lower than usual. Had he been adrift in the sea a little longer, he would not have been able to have a conversation with him as if nothing had happened. When he realized that, his heart sank.

“No. You are hot.”

“…”

“Your forehead is hot too.” 

Erich and his forehead touched. Rayan was startled and tried to avoid it, but he couldn’t move as he grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

“Let me go.”

“No. You do as you please. I will do as I please.”

At this point, he was completely restricted. Even when he tried to get out of his grasp with a whine, he was defeated by the other’s strength. Should he hit him with his tail…? For a moment, an extreme thought passed through his mind. His tail swayed as if in conflict, but Rayan eventually relaxed his body and let the other do as he did. 

“Erich smells.”

When he finally gave up resistance, he smelled something different from him. The human usually smelled cool, but today it was a little sweet.

“So you don’t like it?”

Rayan shook his head without thinking. He didn’t dislike Erich anyway. On the contrary, he liked him. He was so attached to him that he was only concerned that his heart beating might be found out. Being conscious of that fact, he started to feel uncomfortable again. 

“Can’t you let me go?”

“No.”

“Why.”

“I think you will run away.” 

“I won’t go.”

I can promise you, he put out his little finger and shook it, and Erich snorted at him. Then, he narrowed his brows. Rayan gently ran his hand through the space in between.

“… My head hurts.”

Erich muttered as he leaned his head on Rayan’s shoulder. 

“I think it’s going to break.”

It was a big deal if his head broke. Rayan pushed him away harder than before. Erich let himself be pushed away this time. In the freed space, Rayan touched Erich’s forehead. Similar to before. It was no different from his slightly heated body temperature.

“Does it still hurt?”

“…” 

“Erich?”

Rayan, who was anxious because there was nothing he could do right now, took a deep breath and opened his mouth. An ambiguous voice with a soft melody echoed quietly along the cave walls. Erich’s eyebrows gradually found their original form. He lowered his hand from his forehead and looked at Rayan.

“… Rayan?”

Why was he calling him like he was seeing him for the first time? When Rayan tilted his head, Erich touched his mouth as if he was thinking about something, sighed, and muttered something in a very small voice. He didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t make a lot of sense. 

Erich’s gaze turned to Rayan.

“You.”

“Hm?”

“I’ll be back soon, so don’t go. Stay here.” 

He said it with eyes that conveyed that he would be in big trouble if he left, so Rayan’s head nodded automatically. Erich, who was looking at him disapprovingly, drew closer and tilted his head towards him.

“… Uh?”

“Wait for me. Please.”

Finally, Erich got up and strode out of the cave. Rayan touched his lips with his hand.