As soon as I heard the commander’s words, heat rose to my cheeks.

My body is perfect, he said.

Of course, he was only talking about muscles, and there was likely no other meaning behind his words.

Still, I thought it sounded strangely erotic.

I cleared my throat, which had tensed up a bit from nervousness, and replied to the commander.

“Then I won’t build muscle.”

“Good thinking. Your weapons are agility and flexibility, not brute strength. By the way, shouldn’t you take off your coat too? You’ll catch a cold if you keep it on like that.”

“Ah, yes, I should take it off. Would you mind turning around for a moment?”

Hearing my words, the commander immediately turned his back.

Meanwhile, I took off my wet coat, pants, and even underwear.

Keeping wet clothes on felt uncomfortable.

Of course, I had no intention of staying completely naked with the commander.

I took out a blanket I had packed in my bag and covered my bare legs.

Fortunately, the blanket was in a leather bag, so it wasn’t wet.

After taking off all the wet clothes except my shirt and hanging them nearby, I called out to the commander.

“I’m done undressing.”

He flinched slightly before turning to face me.

His gaze briefly touched the blanket covering my bare legs before looking away.

“Shall I light a fire? You look cold.”

“That would be nice. But isn’t it a waste of magical power?”

“Lighting a small campfire is hardly a waste.”

“Ah, I suppose you’re right. You’ve even heated an entire oasis before.”

The commander’s magical power was beyond my level of concern.

Soon, the commander drew upon his ability and lit a fire, quickly filling the cave with a warm atmosphere.

I sat close to the fire and observed the commander.

Unlike me who had taken off my pants, he was still wearing his wet trousers.

It looked quite uncomfortable, so I gently suggested to him.

“Aren’t your pants uncomfortable? Why don’t you take them off and share my blanket like me?”

“…Are you telling me to strip completely? And then share a blanket with you in that state?”

He said that with an incredulous tone and shook his head.

“You’re far too lacking in caution.”

“Should I be cautious even with you, Commander?”

“You should be cautious with me too. What if I had bad intentions?”

“You mean lecherous thoughts? Well…”

I pondered for a moment before smiling at him.

“I don’t think I’d mind.”

“…Wait, what did you just say?”

The commander’s cheeks instantly flushed.

It was clearly visible.

He was staring at me with wide eyes as if doubting what he’d heard, but he hadn’t misheard.

Yes, the commander wasn’t a bad match.

Above all, he was one of the few people I could definitively say was a good person.

He was the only man who had stayed by my side as I was dying.

A man who had grieved for me.

Moreover, he was handsome, had a good body, and even his personality… had no rough edges.

Most importantly, my heart was particularly moved when I was with him.

When he carried me on his back, when we danced together, when we talked by the river, and when we got caught in the rain together…

My heart raced during all those moments.

I wasn’t a child, so I knew what this pounding meant.

It was a signal of ‘attraction’ that one feels before harboring romantic feelings.

“…Are you serious?”

The commander asked in a slightly lowered voice.

To which I answered without hesitation.

“Of course I’m serious. I don’t make unnecessary jokes. I wouldn’t dislike it if it were you, Commander.”

“Wouldn’t dislike it, huh? That’s quite an ambiguous statement.”

“Haha, were you expecting me to say I’m head over heels? We’re not at that stage yet.”

As I burst into laughter, the commander also approached the fire.

He didn’t sit across from me as usual.

Instead, he sat down close enough that I could reach out and touch him.

“……”

“……”

For a while, no words passed between us.

I had expressed a bit of attraction because he seemed to be keeping too much distance, but had I been too hasty?

As I was worrying, his lips finally parted.

“If you truly don’t feel any aversion towards me—”

He paused there and continued in an even lower voice.

“May I sit a little closer to you?”

“……”

I nodded silently.

He then moved his body, coming closer to me.

Close enough for our arms to barely touch.

Soon, my heart began to beat loudly as if boasting of its presence.

It wasn’t this intense even when facing monsters.

My breathing also became slightly ragged due to nervousness, and I worried that he might notice.

In that moment of tension, so taut it felt like it would burst if touched, the commander spoke.

“Have you really sorted out your feelings for Ernant in your heart?”

“I sorted that out long ago. I don’t want to remember it anymore.”

“I’m a cautious person. More suspicious than others. So I’ve been doubting you for a long time. Maybe even now, deep down…”

To think he still harbored a bit of doubt even after saying he trusted me before.

I asked him in a slightly subdued voice.

“Do you think I’m intentionally approaching you for the sake of Emperor?”

“…I can’t deny it.”

“……”

“But even if you are just toying with me—”

The commander suddenly stopped speaking and reached out towards my face.

Then he pulled my face towards him.

My gaze, which had been fixed on the campfire, turned to him.

The commander, facing me so closely, whispered.

“Even if you’re just toying with me, I find it difficult to reject you right now.”

My heart, which was already beating loudly, now felt like it would burst.

Too close.

His face, his eyes, and his lips.

And I knew what happened when two people who harbored attraction for each other got this close.

Sure enough, soon the commander’s lips drew closer to mine.

I quietly closed my eyes and waited for the soft sensation that was about to touch me.

“Hm……”

The moment our lips met, a breath escaped me without realizing.

As if stimulated by that, his movements became more intense.

His large hand firmly cupped the back of my head, and his lips, which had touched carefully at first, were now passionately pressing against mine as if to devour me.

Suddenly, a hot, plump flesh licked my lips.

He briefly separated from me and asked.

“Am I moving too fast?”

“…No. But I was a bit surprised, so I’d like to proceed slowly with the next steps.”

It seemed I needed more mental preparation to move on to the next stage.

Just from our lips touching, my heart was already pounding as if it would burst.

Hearing my words, the commander responded as if he understood.

“I won’t rush. But I’d like to continue what we were doing.”

After saying that, he pressed his lips against mine again.

Unlike before when he only licked my lips, this time he delved inside.

I opened my mouth without much resistance, accepting him.

It felt like a tingling sensation was spreading throughout my body.

“Mm……”

“Ha……”

Our entangled breaths filled the cave.

The cold that had been seeping into my skin and the dampness from the rain were no longer noticeable.

Fortunately, the sudden downpour didn’t last long and soon stopped.

We put on our mostly dried clothes and began climbing the mountain again.

After climbing and climbing endlessly, we finally reached the mountain summit as dusk was falling.

“Vice Commander! Commander! You’ve finally arrived?”

Karl, who had been waiting in the shade of one of the few trees, was the first to welcome us.

Then Elma, who was with Karl, also stood up and reported to the commander.

“We’ve thoroughly scouted the summit as a precaution, but couldn’t find any monsters. Where could they be hiding?”

Fortunately, I knew the answer to Elma’s question.

“It’s here. And it’s in plain sight.”

“Pardon…?”

Elma looked around, not understanding what I meant.

That was understandable, as there was nothing visible here now except for a few trees and rocks.

The commander also gave me a puzzled look.

“Where exactly is the monster here? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“No, it’s not a mistake. The reason we can’t see the monster now is because the sun hasn’t completely set yet. It’s a nocturnal monster… so it’s active at night and sleeps during the day.”

I drew the sword I had sheathed.

Then I pointed the sharply gleaming tip of the sword towards Karl.

More precisely, towards the rock Karl was leaning against.

“The monster is sleeping. Disguised like that, pretending to be a rock.”