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Chapter 116
SIDE Black-winged Knights Vice-Commander Felix
I ran my fingers softly across Takumi’s panicked cheeks. They were soft. The skin felt as if it was clinging to my fingers, a pleasant sensation, though it felt somewhat frail. As I lifted my hand from Takumi’s cheek, I then slipped my hands under his armpits, lifting his small body up. Takumi’s body was light enough to be easily lifted. Probably, I could lift him with just one hand. According to Takumi, his body, rejuvenated by a magic potion, appears five or six years younger than his actual age… but honestly, he looks much younger than that. When I asked Commander Gazelle in secret, he also agreed, saying, “He looks that way to me too,” so it’s not just my imagination.
“Felix?”
Takumi tilted his head in confusion, his expression much more innocent than usual. But inside such a small, delicate body, how could he harbor such a strong will? Despite my wish to protect Takumi… I realize, it’s always me who ends up being protected.
“—I promise to return to you and Felix no matter what. Absolutely.”
Takumi’s words earlier had cleared the slight murkiness in my heart. And in its place, an overwhelming sense of affection surged from the depths of my heart.
“Takumi…”
“Mm.”
I kissed his cheek as I held him up. His soft cheek had a captivating charm that made me want to nibble on it.
“As Commander Gazelle said, you’re truly strong and straightforward. I feel like I’ll never reach your strength.”
“Huh? No, Felix, you’re stronger than me. If I were to fight you, I’m confident I’d lose without even landing a blow.”
“No, I don’t mean physical strength…”
Takumi was probably trying to lighten the mood with a joke. His joke sounded off the mark, and I chuckled, feeling like it was a joke that missed the target. Suddenly, I remembered something and closed my lips.
“Felix, is there something wrong?”
“Regarding physical strength, it reminded me. I haven’t punished Takumi yet.”
“Huh?”
Takumi looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Even if you make such a cute face, I won’t let you off the hook. It’s about what happened earlier with Rido. Even though you promised me, you separated from the carriage alone, and even confronted bandits…”
“N-no, if I had known there were bandits, I wouldn’t have gone alone. And, well, in the end, I was able to save Rido, so…”
“It doesn’t matter. A promise is a promise.”
I smiled and then ran my fingers along Takumi’s lips, making him squirm.
“Gazelle… um, Gazelle, you forgave me, right? I mean, in the end, I was able to save Rido, so…”
“Well, sorry, but I’m with Felix on this one.”
Commander Gazelle looked amused as he faced Takumi and extended his hand to gently trace Takumi’s lips with his fingers.
“What do you think about how I felt when I saw you being captured by those bandits? Honestly… I’m glad I taught you the throwing knife technique back in Elise.”
Takumi fell silent with a guilty expression at Gazel’s words. While I understood that he didn’t have any ill intentions, I still wanted him to realize how much we had been worried at that moment. If it weren’t for the scumbag who wore that sinister smile and grabbed him, I wanted to cut off the heads of those bandits with my sword. I refrained from doing so because I thought it would make Takumi sad. Despite his cool appearance, he was an incredibly kind person. His kindness might also be a weakness, but I liked the delicate nature of his heart. However, I also wanted Takumi to realize how much he attracted those around him. I continued walking while holding Takumi, and when we reached the bedroom at the end of the three-bedroom apartment, Gazelle opened the door for me as both of my hands were occupied. After giving Gazelle a nod of thanks, I entered the room.
I gently placed Takumi on the bed and took off my jacket and vest before sitting down. Gazelle also took off his jacket and adopted a more comfortable posture. When I was left with only my shirt, I felt a sense of relief as if a burden had been lifted. It was still early summer, but even so, the town felt much sunnier than the capital. When I go outside, I might want to wear simpler clothing. I glanced at Takumi, who still had a flushed face, clutching the hem of his clothes nervously. His shy gestures were endearing, even though we had intertwined our bodies more times than he had counted. He still wasn’t used to such acts. His modesty was irresistibly charming.
“Still feeling shy, huh? You’re really cute,” Gazelle, the commander, teased.
“Well, um…”
“Haha, you’re still not used to it, huh? You’ll never change, will you?”
As Gazelle and I teased him, Takumi blushed even more and looked down, appearing embarrassed. … The way the shrunken Takumi was acting made me feel like I was doing something very wrong. It was as if I had become a bad man trying to deceive an innocent maiden who was sheltered from the world. … Well, in reality, there might not be that much difference. As I was thinking about this, I suddenly came up with an idea. This room was assigned as my bedroom. So, my travel bag was also placed in the corner of the room. … If I just do it normally, it won’t be any different from usual. As I had just told Takumi earlier – if I were to put the word “punishment” into practice, I needed something extra. Fortunately, it seemed that it was readily available to me.
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