Moonlight On The Snowfield

Interlude
Ganche"s Bath

"Aah, this one. Bring down this one for me, will ya?"

"Nah, check out the one over here. This bad boy lets off a nice smell when it burns."

"Ya got a point. That one"s good for when you"re smoking stuff to cook. But it"s better to use this one for the fireplace. It takes its time burning."

"Then how about we just chop down both of "em? Well then, Ganche, please go ahead."

Ganche, who had been in the middle of cutting up the wood of a giant tree he had felled ten days ago, paused in his chopping.

"p.i.s.s off! If you want it chopped down, use your own hands and chop it down yourselves."

"What"s with you! You"re really gonna make aging old people like us work?"

"Who the h.e.l.l is an aging old person. Think about your ages after dividing them in half. You 90-year old guys are 45. 45-year olds aren"t aging and old!"

When Ganche said this to him, Itor, a member of the 2nd platoon, laughed without any trace of shyness.

The Lord"s estate possessed a splendid bathing room. It didn"t lack in size even when compared to the Crown Prince"s bathing chambers.

When Ganche asked the head butler why it wasn"t being used, he was told, "There"s no fuel". Though they could have used wood that had rotted off in the forest for fuel, the people of this estate were too lazy to prepare wood for anything other than for cooking and fireplaces.

Since they were like this, it was no wonder the forest kept steadily expanding further and further, Ganche thought.

In any case, he couldn"t allow for this splendid bathing room to not be put to use. Ganche knew that Ernst enjoyed soaking in hot water more than anything.

Ganche had immediately brought back trees he had cut down from the lord"s forest.

This was a bath that hadn"t been used for a hundred years. He spent a whole day meticulously polishing it. After that, he gathered some snow into the bathtub, then lit the fire.

He fretfully kept checking over it, worrying that the bath might have some defect after all this time, but the water grew hot after one hour.

Jumping for joy, Ganche had gone to go call for Ernst – when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, realizing: the bath worked, but he had no soap.

Ganche spun on his heel and ran to Saiquani Town.

They didn"t have anything as top-quality as what he"d used in the royal palace, but at least he had gotten some soap at all.

Ganche urged Ernst to come with him. When he brought Ernst to the bathing room, Ernst looked up at him in surprise. Then, a wide smile dawned over Ernst"s face.

After that, Ganche heated up a bath every day.

The forest contained plenty of fuel. A single large tree could provide heating for five days.

So that the wood could dry and catch fire more easily, he gathered the chopped trees and left them in the forest. Every five days, he could haul out one of them.

Today, too, he"d come to the forest to pick up some wood, but for some reason the militia troops had followed him.

The five people who had come with him pointed at the trees in the forest while thinking about what they would do with them, then made a racket telling Ganche to chop them down.

"You brought your axe, didn"t you?"

Each member of the militia was equipped with an axe.

The militia"s job included gathering firewood for the estate"s use. There were about enough axes for each person located inside the barracks" tool shed. But it should also be said that all of those axes" blades were now dulled over time.

"Can such an elderly person like me really bring down a giant tree like this…"

So grieved t.i.te, a soldier of the 1st platoon. On the New Year, this guy would be certainly be turning 72. But when converted to Dunbertian years, he was 36.

"…So split it between two people."

Lately, the militiamen started bringing up their ages as a pretext to foist all of the hard work on Ganche.

"C"mon, isn"t it fine? Just whack at it a little with your axe and bring it down for us. Besides, it"s not like us guys won"t be able to carry it back on our own."

Ganche let out a sigh, then got to work.

They would only get more annoying if he kept ignoring them. Besides, they said they could carry the trees back themselves. Now that he was chopping the trees down for them, they had better actually follow through.

It was a simple task to carry one or even two of those trees, but it was a one-hour walk from this forest to the estate. Since he also had to bring back wood for the bath, he would end up having to make two round trips.

Just transporting it alone would take up 3 hours, so by the time he got around to heating up the bath, it would already be far too late in the day.

"…Move out of the way."

Ganche looked at the tree, which looked like it would amount to enough wood for three soldiers to carry in their arms. Since it had been half-heartedly chopped at, there were axe-marks left behind on its surface. Even if it was littered with notches from the axe"s blade, it wasn"t a big deal for this wood to be a little chipped, Ganche thought.

Once Ganche saw that the soldiers had moved away from the tree, he walked ten paces away the tree he was going to bring down and readied his aim.

"…Hey?"

Itor called out in bewilderment, watching as Ganche tossed aside his axe and bent his knees.

Ganche pushed with his legs and charged, aiming straight for the tree. He angled his shoulder, ready to strike it with all he had.

Boom.

The tree shook, struck with a loud sound. Birds burst and fled from the treetops, and piles of snow fell from the sky.

He once again distanced himself, then rushed forward.

Boom.

The tree leaned to the side.

Ganche rammed it with his shoulder just one more time.

The enormous tree let out its final groan as it slowly fell over.

"…You sure showed us an unimaginable way to bring down a tree…"

t.i.te murmured, letting out a tightly-wound breath.

Well then next up, please carry this back for us. Before those militiamen could have the opportunity to say that kind of thing to him, Ganche easily lifted the whole giant tree meant to be used as bath fuel onto his shoulder.

Then, he quickly returned to the estate, leaving the dumbfounded soldiers behind him.

"I was wondering, isn"t it difficult to have to heat up the water every day?"

Ganche gently stripped off the clothes so as to not damage this top-quality silk, which had come from those days of being the crown prince.

"No, not at all. It"s nothing of the sort."

As he kneeled in the small room which led to the bathing room, Ganche took off Ernst"s underwear. It was just as enjoyable as taking the peel off of a ripe peach.

"I see… Though I"m happy to be able to take a hot bath every day, Ganche"s body is the most important to me."

Ernst extended his slender fingers, stroking Ganche"s cheek.

The care and worry in his blue eyes made something warm spread through Ganche"s chest.

Ganche knew that when the militia troops pushed him around to do work for them, it was a result of how close and friendly they felt toward him – but in all honesty, he felt like it was a pain in the a.s.s.

But Ernst – Ernst always cared about Ganche.

Even though just like the militiamen, he was a Kleber of the Sch.e.l.l race, Ernst still thought about Ganche as if he were the same kind of person he was, no matter if Ganche was Dunbertian.

"Since I"m a Dunbertian, I"m strong enough to handle it, right?"

"I know that Ganche is strong, but even Dunbertians can feel tired, can"t they? Ganche, whenever you feel exhausted, don"t push yourself, please. I hope that you can tell me when that happens."

As Ernst gently stroked Ganche"s head, Ganche brought his mouth to kiss the stomach in front of him. He left a mark on that white skin as if trying to convey the happiness he felt, and he stripped the last piece of clothing on Ernst"s body.

He brought Ernst"s slender and small parts into his mouth. Ganche rolled them atop his tongue, feeling his own c.o.c.k slowly rise and harden.

"Aah…"

He heard Ernst"s sweet moans and felt Ernst pull the curls of his hair.

"Ganche… let"s head into the bath. We shouldn"t let the water you heated go to waste."

Ganche released Ernst from his mouth, giving one last lick to those palely-colored parts before embracing Ernst"s small body.

He had learned how to conduct himself as a bathing attendant while serving in the bathing chamber of the royal palace.

What was different compared to back then was that now, Ganche had also stripped bare, and he entered the bathtub together with Ernst.

Then, he was allowed to bring his finger deep into the pucker of Ernst"s small bottom.

"Haa…"

Ernst panted seductively, clutching Ganche"s shoulder. Within the warm water, his slender body stirred.

"Lord Ernst. How are you doing?"

Ganche crept his fingers along Ernst"s slender nape, and perhaps because of that, Ernst felt hotter than usual.

"I think, I"m feeling a little dizzy…"

"Shall we get out, then?"

"…I"d like for us to stay in the bath, just a little while longer."

Chuckling, Ganche pulled Ernst up from the water.

Ernst"s legs were soaked only up to his knees as Ganche gently set down Ernst"s upper body on the floor. Ganche supported Ernst"s head with his palm so that it wouldn"t be hit in the process.

The floor of the bathing room was made out of stone. It seemed that a giant rock had been leveled into a flat surface, laid out over the ground, and turned into a stone floor.

Seeming as if he found the stone floor soothing, Ernst pressed his cheek to the stone and spread both of his hands on it.

"Is it not cold?"

"No… This stone is probably Linua stone. It"s a rock that conducts heat; the stone of the bathtub likely transferred the water temperature to the stone floor. It"s very warm."

Ernst closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation, a sight that delighted Ganche, as well.

Ganche gently and rhythmically rubbed from Ernst"s small knee to his thigh, watching the gentle cadence of Ernst"s pale belly rising and falling.

He felt like the challenges thrust before Ernst kept growing with each pa.s.sing day.

After he solved one problem, another that was even harder popped out.

It was almost as if some unseen force was trying to test the limits of what Ernst could do.

The front which Ernst showed his people was unperturbed by everything, capable of handling matters without needing anyone"s worry; yet from the back, Ganche knew that his small body clamored with rising complaints.

Lately, Ernst"s body began to tense up every now and then.

Only in front of Ganche would he relax every muscle of his body, his eyes falling half-lidded.

For the sake of providing Ernst a place where he could rest his mind, Ganche vowed that even if he broke one or both of his arms, he must go out and heat up a bath for Ernst every single day.

Ganche gently rested his head upon Ernst"s slender thighs. When he rubbed his cheek against Ernst"s inner thigh, feeling just how soft it was, Ernst brought his small hand to stroke through Ganche"s hair.

Ernst often patted and stroked Ganche"s head. In Ganche"s memory, he did not recall his parents ever having patted his head for him.

He never realized that this was actually something that could feel so nice. Or did it feel that way simply because it was Ernst who was doing it to him?

When Ganche tried to bring his face into the area hidden between Ernst"s pale thighs, Ernst spread his slender legs for him.

Ganche brought the small, limply-hanging manhood into his mouth. He also swallowed down the sack behind it, rolling them in his mouth together.

As he continued on to insert his fingers down below, inside of his mouth, Ernst"s parts grew slightly stiffer.

When he brought them out of his mouth and took a look, he saw that Ernst"s palely-colored thing had grown invigorated, becoming slightly erect.

Ernst clutched his little manhood with both hands, hastily looking up at him – a sight that wrecked Ganche"s senses.

He nibbled on Ernst"s soft belly, then licked at the hairless area around his member. He deliberately avoided touching it directly, instead licking circles around it with the scorching tip of his tongue.

"Aah…"

Thin fingers pulled at Ganche"s hair.

He increased the count of his sheathed fingers to two, and slid the tip of his tongue between the gap of those fingers. When he looked up from his position down below, he saw that Ernst"s small sack had lifted slightly.

In the past, those underdeveloped genitals reacted only to the feeling of Ganche"s s.e.m.e.n as it was unloaded deep within Ernst"s body; yet now, they trembled from Ganche"s teasing.

It was so adorable, so darling, so irresistible, that he couldn"t help but latch on.

"Aaah…!"

In this bathroom lit by a wavering candlelight, a wet sound rang out.

Squelching sounds came from the place where Ernst"s body swallowed up Ganche"s fingers. As Ganche swallowed down Ernst"s member, sucks and swallows filled the air.

They overlapped with Ernst"s aroused voice as he panted out captivating moans; in the hot water, Ganche"s lower half swelled enormously.

He wanted to take out his fingers right now, and bring himself inside.

Yet Ernst"s length let Ganche taste an enthralling nectar, making it difficult for him to let go.

Ernst"s scent was that of an unripe fruit.

And his watery s.e.m.e.n had the taste of a rose apple. [1]

The continent of Sout was abundant with fruit. It was a temperate land, and most of it consisted of ocean. On the islands which dotted those seas, the people grew fruit, especially peaches.

There were thousands of varieties of peaches, which were Sout"s primary commercial item. The one that Ganche liked the most out of all of them was the rose apple.

In Sout Continent, there were two countries that had long been at war. In this war which had dragged on for 200 years and continued to this day, Ganche had partic.i.p.ated as a mercenary.

During his one-year contracted term, Ganche had been able to experience the delightful taste of the rose apple.

Though rose apples were the best-tasting, they weren"t uncommon and they could be found all throughout Sout. However, they were incredibly fragile, and they rotted a single day after harvesting.

For this reason, it could only be eaten in Sout Continent. In the eyes of other lands, the rose apple was a fruit you could only find in dreams.

When Ganche"s contract was up and it came time to leave Sout, what saddened him the most was that he would no longer be able to enjoy that peach.

When Ernst had let out his nectar for the first time in his life, Ganche had the extraordinary luck of once again tasting that flavor. Even now, Ganche clearly recalled the sense of joy, as well as the shock, he had experienced at that time.

It was the exact same taste – no, it was an even better taste than the rose apple Ganche had enjoyed in the past.

Ernst"s small body was unable to take Ganche every night. But every night, Ernst was willing to give his nectar to Ganche.

Ganche reverently held him in his mouth, indulging in the flowing nectar every night.

Ernst"s immature length trembled slightly, squeezing out nectar.

Though his body had begun showing s.e.xual responses, he wasn"t able to shoot out the way Ganche could. The way his member looked, like a sheltered princess gently crying, was so graceful, so restrained, that Ganche couldn"t hold himself back.

Ganche wrapped his tongue around Ernst and sucked. He pressed on the sack with the tip of his tongue, sucking as if he were squeezing out every last drop.

Though the refreshing sweetness which spread through his mouth gradually faded, he continued to suck without giving up.

"Ganche… Ganche."

A small hand pulled at his hair, making Ganche raise his head.

"No more is going to come out."

Ernst had sat up, saying this with teary eyes. As he spoke, he looked fastidiously at that place which had turned red and swollen after Ganche had thoroughly ravished it. It dangled down powerlessly.

"I… I owe you my deepest apologies. I had gone too far and forgotten myself… Does it hurt?"

As he gently rubbed it, Ernst"s small hands covered his.

"It"s alright. It aches a little, but it doesn"t hurt. I would give you more if I could… sorry."

He grabbed one of Ganche"s apologetic fingers, bringing the fingertip into his mouth.

"Lord Ernst, you"re always giving me so many things."

Ganche gently embraced him, bringing Ernst"s chilled body back into the bathtub. The slender body within Ganche"s arms leaned on him, relieved.

Ernst sat on Ganche"s thigh, his legs splayed on either side of it, as he rested his cheek on Ganche"s broad chest.

His blue eyes looked up at Ganche from below.

"Ganche…"

"Yes."

"Today isn"t good…?"

His thin arm dipped into the water, and he rubbed Ganche"s towering erection.

"You mustn"t overexert yourself."

"I"m not overexerting myself. I… always want to feel Ganche inside me."

He touched the head, stroking the swollen tip.

Furrowing his brow, Ganche considered it. The last time he had guided it into Ernst was five days ago.

Wanting to check, Ganche dropped the hand he had been using to stroke Ernst"s thin back and slid his finger into Ernst"s small hole.

One, then two. Perhaps because of Ganche"s prior teasing, Ernst"s body hadn"t tensed even with two fingers inside of him. He didn"t seem as if he was hiding any pain, either.

Ganche gently increased the number of fingers to three.

"Ah…"

Ernst clung to Ganche, letting out an alluring moan.

"Lord Ernst…"

His voice as he whispered was low, murmuring.

"Let"s go back to our room."

Ganche lifted Ernst up, bringing him out of the water.

After wiping off Ernst"s body in the small room, Ganche first dressed Ernst with a robe which resembled a thin coat, loosely tying a sash around his thin waist.

Though this robe was meant to be worn after bathing, recently, it had also become bedclothes. It was only worn between moving from this small room to the bedroom. They took it off as soon as they entered the bedroom, and they went to bed to sleep curled up together without a single st.i.tch of clothing separating their skin.

They always went to sleep this way, whether it was a night where they had connected or not.

Ernst sat himself on an ottoman as Ganche also put on a robe. Ernst looked up at his figure with rapt attention.

"Ganche is always so amazing."

Ganche"s hands paused in tying the robe, and he turned around to face Ernst.

"I wish I could grow larger, like you…"

When Ganche approached the seated Ernst, Ernst stretched out a thin finger, touching that thing which stood so tall that it nearly touched Ganche"s stomach.

"It"s not bothering you?"

"A lot of blood has gathered there, and that"s why it"s hot, or so I"ve heard… There is a throbbing, sore feeling."

Though one could say that Ernst had experienced arousal and s.e.xual pleasure, his own parts were yet immature. He showed curiosity over the usual state of excitement that a fully-grown man displayed.

Ganche tried to respond as accurately as he could to the questions Ernst posed in his pursuit of knowledge.

"Is that so… when Ganche touches me, it"s as if my body feels numb. When I let it out, I feel as if something is being sucked out from a thin tube."

Ganche smiled wryly at Ernst"s words.

"It sounds like that is because I suck on you too strongly."

Ganche reached out his hand, scooping up his own sack.

"Lord Ernst, do you see these?"

Ernst"s small hands dutifully touched Ganche"s sack. Ganche let Ernst hold it atop his palms.

"Heavy…"

"Yes. When the body becomes more aroused, these swell and grow heavier, like this. When the feeling grows stronger, it stands the way mine is now."

"The sack?"

"Yes. Yours become that way as well, doesn"t it?"

"Aah… I wonder if mine is like this, even with the way I am."

"It does. Lord Ernst"s is small and very cute, but it does stand up a little bit."

His cheeks slightly red, Ernst laughed as if he felt that his situation wasn"t all that bad anymore.

"When these are emptied, they soften… Maybe someday, it"ll be possible to pour it out into Lord Ernst"s body until they"re completely empty."

Ganche gently reached out his hand, touching the golden threads of Ernst"s hair.

"If that day is going to come, then I wish it would come sooner."

Ernst grasped Ganche"s hand, resting his cheek upon the large palm as he closed his eyes.

In a room enveloped in darkness, Ganche embraced the body within his arms.

Ernst slept, a soothed expression on his small face.

Ganche had never before made love over and over again with one specific person. Up until now, he had only had loves for a single night. No; that wasn"t love at all. That was just a treatment of s.e.xual desire. It was just an act of reproduction.

Ganche pressed a kiss to Ernst"s prominent forehead. The love he felt for Ernst spilled out within his heart.

No matter how many times he made love to him, it wasn"t enough. Though his body was one that Ganche could only meet once every few days, he never felt that this was insufficient. Not to mention how he wasn"t even able to think about anyone else.

Unless it was for Ernst, Ganche was unable to feel pa.s.sion for anyone.

He hugged Ernst"s slender body, filling his chest with the scent of Ernst"s hair.

The him who had been serving in the royal palace would"ve never guessed that the day would come where he could touch Ernst freely, without hesitation.

Ganche thanked his body for wielding so much luck inside of it.

For the sake of protecting this luck, Ganche would do whatever it took. He would heat up a bath every day and, if Ernst commanded it, he would cut down whoever dared to bring Ernst pain.

For Ganche, there was nothing that could ever be more important than Ernst.

He stooped his body to kiss the sleeping Ernst.

He adjusted his angle and kissed him again and again, and after countless kisses, Ganche finally fell to sleep.

[1] The fruit here is called 水桃, which are the words for "water peach". A quick google search brought up a bell-shaped red fruit called the rose apple, which is what I decided to use.