‘Wow, this works? I should’ve tried it sooner.’

If he had known in advance, he could have saved much more time. After overcoming a slight regret, he found Lumen.

“You want me to help Van take care of the villagers?”

“It’s just that I can’t do it myself right now. Will you help me? Of course, you don’t have to do me a favor, and I’ll understand if you don’t. I’ve already broken your trust.....”

“....You’re doing this on purpose, right?”

“What?”

“Forget it. It’s not hard.”

Since Lumen was not an official member, he couldn’t activate quests. However, Cadel didn’t want to dump all the sub-quests on Van, so he decided to utilize Lumen in this way.

‘I’m sorry, Lumen, I’m going to have to take your help this way until I can raise the cost. I’ll make it up to you later.’

After sending Lumen and Van away.

Cadel dodged the healer and found Lydon, who had transformed into a tiny fairy, crouched behind a vase on a table, staring out the window.

“Lydon, we’re all set, shall we go?”

Spotting Cadel in the hood of his robe, Lydon flew into his arms.

“If you feel like you’re overdoing it, stop the illusion immediately instead of continuing as you did last time.”

“Hmph, you can’t overdo it with a mere human illusion, can you?”

“Anyway! We just have to get out of here without being caught, so be careful.”

At a cursory nod, Lydon’s eyes flashed with a clear line of the magic circle, and when he saw it, Cadel cautiously stepped over the window sill.

* * *

They managed to slip out of the Royal Palace unnoticed. They made their way to the urban area, which was lined with stalls and restaurants.

“One lemon juice and a bag of almond chocolates, ah, is this a strawberry tart? I’ll have one of those too, and.... Huh? Okay, just one more bag of almond chocolates!”

Cadel pushed his way through the crowded streets, a paper bag clutched in both hands. The contents of the bag were all snacks, each one chosen with Lydon’s wishes in mind.

He was not sure if Lydon would be able to finish these, but he would do anything as long as he could coax Lydon.

“Do you want anything else? I don’t think I could carry it with me even if you did.”

“Cadel is too small. I can’t believe it’s already this full. Your arms are cramped.”

“I’m sorry for the cramped arms.”

“Well, forget it. I want to eat now, so find me a suitable place.”

Now he was acting like a king. Cadel grumbled inwardly and began to move in search of a more deserted area.

They arrived at the top of an old clock tower on the outskirts of the urban area. Given that there was another clock tower in the center of the urban area, it seemed to be a building that was neglected because it hadn’t been demolished yet. It was deserted and didn’t look like they had to care about people wandering around. It seemed like a good place to hide out for a while.

Taking the stairs straightforwardly, Cadel reached the top and dropped the paper bag as if tossing it. His breathing was ragged.

“Heok heok, I think, my heart, is going to explode.....”

Weak as he was, he walked up a tower he couldn’t tell how many stories high, carrying the pack full of snacks. This was the moment when his low physical strength would show.

Lydon slipped out of the agonized Cadel’s robes and quickly returned to his humanoid form.

“Haha! Cadel’s heart was beating so loud! I thought it was going to explode, but humans are surprisingly strong.”

“That’s what you’re going to say? Forget it, forget it, just eat it quickly when no one’s looking.”

Cadel opened the arched window in the wall and took a deep breath of fresh air. After a few breaths, the pain that threatened to tear him apart subsided.

‘By the way, the only condition is that he can try new foods to his heart’s content. ....That’s a bit of a downer.’

When Cadel offered to give Lydon everything he wanted, he had made up his mind.

‘Since this is a female-oriented game, I thought he’d ask for.... something a little more naughty.’

He was so nervous for a moment that he felt pathetic. He guessed he was getting used to the game identity. It was okay to adjust a little slowly.

With an exasperated sigh, Cadel turned his head to check if Lydon was eating well. Lydon, who was supposed to be sitting down, was now casting a shadow right next to Cadel.

“Oh gosh, what―”

And before Cadel even responded. Without any indication, the lips of the two overlapped.

It felt smooth and cool against Cadel’s dry lips. He reflexively backed away from the force pressing down on him, but a strong arm wrapped around his waist to prevent that. There was no time to think about anything else. All he could think about was the shock of it all.

Soon, something round and unidentifiable was forcing his gums to open. He tried to struggle, but his mouth fell open as strong fingertips dug into his cheeks, and he was unable to resist, not even for a moment. Cadel felt a heavy weight on his defenseless tongue.

A sweet aroma filled his mouth in an instant. It was candy. Cadel’s cheeks twitched briefly as he realized the identity of this unexpected visitor.

“Delicious, right?”

With his purpose accomplished, Lydon’s lips slowly parted. A languid smile spread across his innocent face, devoid of the slightest hint of lust.

It was like looking at an expensive sculpture. The beams of light from the window dazzled his pale skin, and his red eyes sparkled like polished jewels. He was impeccably beautiful.

In the presence of Lydon that shone so unfiltered, Cadel gulped, dumbfounded, and swallowed the candy.

“Huh? Did you swallow?”

“You.... cough, what did you do now.....”

His throat was sore from having swallowed a whole candy. Cadel stammered as he clutched his throbbing throat, and Lydon shook his head with an innocent expression.

“I tried it and it was delicious, so I share some with you. What?”

“What..... Who shares something they’ve been eating because it tastes good, from mouth to mouth at that? Are you crazy?”

“I can’t do that? Why?”

“Stop asking me why! Of course, you can’t!”

“But why.....”

Cadel fooled himself into thinking it was a smooth flow that was not like a female-oriented game. He never thought he’d end up eating candy with someone else’s saliva on it.

‘One guy bites my lip. One guy gives..gives me a candy kiss.....’

Just thinking about it made him blush. If he could, he would smash the entire clock tower with his fists and escape to the outside.

‘No, how can this be a kiss? You know how it used to be in school, kids sharing lollipops that they were sucking on. It’s just like that.’

Cadel pursed his lips stubbornly and glared at Lydon. Lydon chose to ignore the angry Cadel altogether, pulling out a fresh tart and biting into it. This made him even more furious.

“Don’t ever give me what’s in your mouth again. Don’t even offer me what you were eating!”

“Other humans share just fine.”

“What humans? Even if they did share, they probably just took a bite out of it.”

“You can’t take a bite of candy.”

“Then just don’t give it to me! I don’t have to eat it!”

Lydon looked at Cadel strangely. As if he was picking on everything.

There was a serious lack of common sense. Or was this what all fairies were like? They didn’t mind eating what others ate?

Even if such a question arose, it was not simply a difference in culture when Cadel thought of Melphis’ rugged face.

Lydon shook his head with an uncharacteristic sigh as Cadel pounded his chest.

“You’re too fastidious, Cadel. I didn’t even put my tongue in.”

“If you put it in, you’re already dead.”

“Kill me? Small Cadel without mana?”

“Hey! Don’t eat it. Don’t eat that! Give it to me!”

As he grew bigger, he lost his cuteness. Lydon ducked out of the way of Cadel’s attempt to snatch the tart and smirked in a detestable manner.

“Tell me if you want to eat. I’ll share it with you.”