Theo said he’d look for work I could do, and came back with a notice the temple had distributed.
“Corps Commander Shane burned down the Temple of Repinal, right? They’re in the middle of rebuilding, and they’re recruiting extra workers. Wages are ten copper coins a day, and the temple provides lunch.”
He handed me the notice and added:
“I’m going to quit the tavern job and do this. Let’s work together.”
If I could rebuild the temple I burned with my own hands... would that wash even a little of the sin I committed as ‘Shane’?
“Alright, sounds good.”
I nodded readily.
The workers gathered at the temple grounds early in the morning. They started by clearing the debris of burned wood and collapsed walls, then carried stones and hauled timber.
At first, the winter air was sharp enough to bite skin, and my fingertips stiffened, but once I got moving, that changed. Sweat soaked through my clothes, and each exhale left a warm cloud of breath. Hammer strikes and chisels scraping stone echoed without pause.
I hauled stones tied to ropes, cleared broken shards beside the masons, mixed lime powder with water and passed it along. Stone dust caked white beneath my fingernails. Stones piled up one by one atop the fallen walls. Moving my body without thinking about anything felt oddly peaceful.
Lunch was served from a distribution station set up at the edge of the site. Steam rose from a massive cauldron, and wooden bowls and rough bread were stacked on long tables. Today’s menu was a stew slow-cooked with plenty of barley and beans, served with dense black bread that wasn’t freshly baked but was solid on the inside. The stew had chunks of lean, salt-cured meat mixed in. For laborers, it was a filling meal.
Among the apprentice clerics running distribution was Luna. Ladle in hand, sleeves rolled up, she moved briskly, and when she spotted me, her eyes lit up.
“Rihen, Theo! You came to work. It’s good to see you.”
Luna scooped so much food into our bowls they nearly overflowed.
We took our bread and stew and stepped into the crowd. Sitting on stones among the other workers eating, we blew on the hot soup and moved our spoons.
“By the way, that Thirteenth Corps Commander. The one who burned down the temple.”
“Yeah. The one named Shane?”
“That guy really gives you chills, doesn’t he?”
Right next to me, a familiar name came up. The workers eating were talking about me. I perked up my ears.
“Unlike other demons, he can completely hide his demonic energy. So tracking him is basically impossible, and there’s no way to prevent his ambushes.”
“Hiding demonic energy? How is that possible? What kind of incredible technique must he have?”
No. It’s not hiding. I was just born with faint demonic energy from the start. Because Shane is a mix of human and demon.
“They say seven hundred capital holy knights combined can’t beat one Shane. You know that incident where Shane went alone into the Holy Knights’ base and set the armory on fire?”
No. I deliberately picked a moment when the main forces were away. If I went head-to-head with the entire Holy Knights, I’d obviously lose.
“The scariest part is that he moves alone, with no subordinates.”
“That must mean he’s that confident in his own skills.”
No. It’s just that I have no popularity. What demon would want to serve a corps commander with human blood mixed in?
“He’s a truly terrifying bastard, Shane...”
Some shuddered, others crossed themselves. I chewed the last of my bread. Well, at least I seem strong, that’s a good thing, I thought optimistically.
After a short break, work resumed. The construction we’d been working on since early morning wrapped up roughly around sunset. The workers lined up in turn to receive their wages, and Theo and I mingled in and collected our ten copper coins each.
I don’t know what Theo was so excited about, but the whole way home he kept jingling the coin pouch. The coins clinked cheerfully against each other.
The next day, Theo and I went to the temple construction again. The feeling of sweat pouring off my body from physical labor wasn’t so bad. In the heat lingering on my palms and the heavy fatigue, I felt the value of honest work anew.
As I worked, I naturally grew closer to the other laborers. Jack, a hairy uncle with a rough beard, and Adam, who had a long scar cutting across his cheek. Judging by first impressions alone, they looked menacing, but Jack said he still kept the beard because his first love had liked bearded men. And Adam’s scar had come from fighting monsters while protecting the village as a member of the Sanctuary Guard.
The two were quite chatty, and as regulars at Madam Cecile’s tavern, they were up on every rumor. Thanks to them, my ears weren’t bored during breaks.
Among all their stories, one caught me off guard.
“They say Saint Rihen is alive. That he escaped from the hell that is the Demon Realm and came back to the human world.”
What is this baseless rumor now? Rihen is dead. To be precise, Shane killed him. And yet he’s alive?
“Really?”
When I asked back, Jack nodded.
“Yeah. My cousin saw him himself. There’s a small village called Henoia, and he’s apparently staying there and healing the sick and starving. My cousin was in Henoia until a week ago.”
It has to be an imposter. Rihen was already dead, and even if by some miracle he were alive, he would have first reported his survival to the Imperial court. Henoia is a remote countryside far from the capital. Villagers there wouldn’t know the real Rihen’s face, so they’d be easy to fool.
“Have you told anyone else about this?”
“No, only Adam. My cousin insisted I keep it secret. You and Theo are the second people I’m telling.”
“When did your cousin tell you about Rihen?”
“...This morning?”
I’m dying here... You’ve already told three people in half a day! Loose-lipped uncle. And Theo and I only just met you today. Just as I was about to scold this careless man, Theo spoke first.
“I think it’s better if you don’t say any more. If this reaches the demons’ ears, it’ll be trouble.”
Theo lowered his voice ominously, as if to scare him.
“Especially if Shane finds out... he’ll not only kill Rihen, whether he’s fake or real, but might also deal with Jack, the source of the rumor.”
At the name Shane, Jack’s face turned pale. Like a kid trembling at the old tale of tigers taking away naughty children.
“A-alright. I won’t say a word. Really, my mouth is heavy.”
The mouth-shutting was thorough, thanks to that. This rumor wouldn’t spread any further.
Why on earth is an imposter pretending to be Rihen? This was something I’d have to check on directly later. For now, the priority was resolving the Twin Demons quest.
On the third day, I suggested to Jack and Adam that we go drinking. Together with Theo, we headed to Madam Cecile’s tavern as a foursome. The goal was one thing: to pretend to be drunk. In front of Theo, I’d been acting as if I was weak to alcohol, but my actual tolerance was ten times that of an average human. Unless I actually drowned in a wine barrel, I wouldn’t get drunk.
I downed drinks quickly. Adam kept filling my empty glass with strong fruit wine, and without hesitation I grinned and drained every one.
Before long, the tavern was a mess. The only one who kept his restraint until the end was Theo. Jack sat in his chair, nodding off repeatedly, then eventually let his head rest on my shoulder. Adam couldn’t even stand steadily and stumbled down in front of me, mindlessly rubbing his forehead against my thigh. Of all places, he pressed against my right thigh, which made me flinch a bit. I mean... I hang to the right.
Theo hurriedly rose from his seat. In one motion, he grabbed both Jack and Adam by the collar and pulled them off me. Then he supported me and said:
“Rihen, you’re too drunk. Let’s go home.”
Theo ended up carrying me home on his back. His back, so much wider than when he’d been a child, supported mine. The heavy, steady warmth, the slow transfer of body heat, felt cozy. I buried my face against his shoulder and deliberately breathed deeper, closing my eyes.
I’m about to do something cruel to you, kind as you are. Only to accumulate Evil Points.
Theo laid Rihen down carefully on the bed. He was still barely conscious, squirming a little. Worried, Theo shook his shoulders a few times.
“Rihen, are you okay? Why did you drink so much?”
After a while, focus faintly returned to Rihen’s eyes. His hazy gaze slowly traced Theo’s face, and a smile spread over his lips for reasons Theo couldn’t parse. It was a smile skewed somehow.
Rihen suddenly pulled Theo down onto the bed. With a tangled tongue, he whispered into Theo’s ear:
“Customer, you’re here. I’ll... do my best to serve you tonight too.”
...Customer?
Rihen’s hand grabbed indiscriminately at Theo’s clothes. With hands trembling from drink, he tried to pull off Theo’s pants. The sweet scent of fruit wine felt too close. Even Theo felt like he was getting drunk from it.
Theo grasped the situation immediately. Rihen was so drunk that he was mistaking Theo for a ‘customer’. Even after promising he’d never sell his body again, the moment he lost his reason his old habits sprang out like this. How many times must he have sold himself for this to become his drinking habit? Theo’s head throbbed.
“Rihen, snap out of it! It’s Theo. Not a customer!”
“Haha, playing hard to get. Suddenly shy now?”
Rihen behaved as if Theo’s words weren’t reaching him at all. He brought his hand to Theo’s crotch and rubbed gently. Even from that light stimulation, Theo’s cock quickly swelled. Rihen delicately licked at Theo’s erection through the fabric and huffed a laugh. It all looked so natural. He said his lower mouth was his first, but seems he’s put his upper mouth to plenty of use. A vein popped at Theo’s temple.
He could push him away, easily. Restraining someone as sluggish as a drunk was no difficult task for Theo. He reached out to push Rihen off, then stopped. His fingertips fumbled at empty air.
I know I should end this here. He was fully aware that this was a wrong situation. And yet he didn’t want to stop.
Theo lifted his hips slightly to help Rihen pull off his pants.
“...Rihen started this.”
Theo murmured, as if to himself. It was a dark, low voice unbefitting the title ‘hero’.
