game chapter 5

After spending a good while entertaining Raphelt, it was already nearing 10 PM, our agreed-upon time. I saw him to the door one last time.

“Come back alive.”

“I will.”

“And don’t get hurt.”

“By the way, Ren.”

“What?”

He seemed hesitant to leave, lingering at the doorway, so I asked him why. He shyly crooked his index finger.

“Just once.”

“What?”

“I might die out there. It would be such a waste to die without ever having done it.”

“Done what?”

His eyes blazed before me, alight with a fiery intensity. What was with that ominous glint?

Seeming to sense my unease, he chuckled and tilted my chin up.

What followed was utterly bewildering. Before I could grasp the situation, he bent down to my level and captured my lips with his.

He caught my hands as I tried to push him away, then gently bit my lip to part them, his tongue slipping inside.

The soft, moist touch immediately entangled my own tongue. The friction against my gums and teeth was scorching.

Only after the heat flushed to my ears did Raphelt release me, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

“…You’ve finally lost it, haven’t you?”

Reacting to such an unexpected event was difficult. I pressed my hand against my tingling lips, catching my breath.

The lingering warmth was vivid. A foreign sensation. It wasn’t just my flushed cheeks; the way my heart pounded because of this man was even more unsettling.

“I’ve always felt this way around you.”

Raphelt hummed, a slow grin spreading across his face.

Yes, and I always let him get away with it, didn’t I? It was that bewitching smile that disarmed me every time. He pulled me into a farewell embrace, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered.

“Ah, that was nice. When I get back safe, let’s do it again, but more intensely.”

His face, radiant with happiness, shone beneath his flowing golden hair. This smile was different from the mischievous one he’d worn moments before.

“I’m off.”

Unable to delay any longer, Raphelt finally turned to leave.

“Just go already, you shameless scoundrel!”

I shoved him in the back with my elbow and slammed the door shut.

As if he wouldn’t come back safe and sound.

Every time he went on a mission, he had to pull this act—‘I might die…this could be the last time!’—laying it on thick.

“Are you quite finished?”

A chilling voice cut through the air the moment he was gone.

Startled, I looked up to see Scior standing in his doorway, glaring at me with undisguised displeasure.

“Do you think I have nothing better to do?”

Scior spun around and disappeared back into his room. As the heat in my face subsided, embarrassment crept in.

‘Of all people, why did he have to see that?’

As I hesitantly entered my room, Scior immediately switched into disciplinary mode, launching into a lecture.

“Absinthe is a business. Keep your personal affairs in check.”

“Personal affairs? That was all Raphelt.”

“Whatever it was.”

His words were sharp, cutting through the air. His icy demeanor made me flinch.

He must have seen Raphelt close to me—I wasn’t sure how much he had witnessed—and jumped to the conclusion of an office romance.

“Are you aware of the rumors surrounding you two? As executives, you should be setting an example for the other members. You need to be more discreet.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful.”

I reluctantly conceded. I knew I was partly at fault, and arguing would only prolong the lecture.

“For now.”

“Yes.”

“The reason I called you today is because, as an executive, you need to have two or three specialties. Combat skills, hand-to-hand fighting, weaponry—you’re aware of the basics, Ren, but that’s not enough. Of course, you’ve shown exceptional aptitude as a spy.”

Praise was always welcome, and since Scior rarely offered it, I felt a small surge of pride.

“Let’s assess your progress. How are you coming along with your illusion magic?”

“Unfortunately, it’s stagnant. Every time I use it, I feel like my head is splitting in two.”

In the original story, Ren Maharani was the only one capable of wielding illusion magic.