Only I Know the War Hero’s Secret Chapter 8

“……!”

Richard felt the beastly howls that had been ringing noisily in his head suddenly die down.

His vision, which had been flickering a vivid bloodred as though submerged in blood, gradually returned to its natural colors, and the searing heat that had enveloped his entire body subsided as if it had never existed.

The sudden change in his body was so overwhelming that the strength drained from his hands, and he nearly staggered.

‘……What is this?’

All at once, the entire world had gone quiet.

The violent impulses churning in his stomach had also disappeared.

Just moments ago, Richard had been struggling to suppress the urge to kill the little rat in front of him, even drawing upon the mana core in his lower abdomen.

The only reason he had managed to hold on to his sanity was that the little rat’s breathing was so faint and weak.

A monster’s predatory instincts did not react violently to creatures like rabbits or squirrels that weren’t even worth hunting. Thanks to that, he had been able to cling to the last shred of his reason.

“…….”

As the vicious demonic energy that had been tearing through his entire body like blades settled down, his body suddenly relaxed.

Clang!

Without even realizing that the sword he always carried like an extension of himself had fallen to the floor, Richard stood motionless.

‘It’s quiet.’

Ever since he emerged from Chaos, the world had never been this quiet.

Just as he was savoring the peace that had finally returned, a tiny woman, as small as a rabbit, began hovering in front of him.

“……?”

“Ugh!”

As it turned out, she was struggling to pull the sword embedded in his abdomen.

Only moments ago, he had been consumed by the urge to get rid of this little rat……

Yet as he looked down at her tiny head, his mouth suddenly began to water.

His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed.

It was because a sweet fragrance was wafting from the little woman’s body.

With every breath she exhaled, the scent grew stronger, and Richard unconsciously expanded his chest and inhaled more deeply.

‘……Sweet.’

For the first time in ages, he felt as though he had returned to being human.

It had been a long time since he had experienced anything like this.

‘Has it been two years……?’

Ever since he had been swallowed by that enormous space of Chaos and his body had mutated.

His sense of smell had never worked properly.

The perfume worn by the nobles had been so unpleasant that it smelled like filth, irritating his nerves throughout the victory banquet.

But the creature standing before him had a scent so delicious it made his head spin, rather than putting him on edge.

She looked like an exquisite feast, something he wanted to swallow whole in a single bite.

Just then, the sword embedded in his abdomen slid out with a soft shuck.

“I-it’s…… done.”

The woman pressed a handkerchief firmly against his wound.

“Hold this.”

“…….”

Distracted by the pleasant scent, Richard obediently gripped the handkerchief. The woman then cautiously began backing away.

Where was she going?

Richard instinctively grabbed hold of the sweet creature as she tried to move farther and farther away.

“……Um, I have to go.”

“…….”

“G-good boy, okay?”

Every time the woman mumbled something, the sweet fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose grew stronger, making him draw in even longer breaths.

“Now, stay still. Okay?”

When her soft palm touched his arm, a pleasant, sweet sensation spread through him, unlike the rough feeling of his earlier rampage. His red eyes grew hazy.

‘This feels nice…….’

Just then, her soft palm gently cupped his face.

As if bewitched, Richard buried his nose in the crown of the woman’s head.

 

***

 

What on earth was happening?

Every time the hot breath touched the back of her neck, the strength drained from Mona’s body, and her vision began spinning.

With her hazy mind, Mona tried to think.

‘H-how did things end up like this?’

Everything had been going surprisingly well.

Who would have thought that the crude perfume she had assumed was unfinished would suppress aggression?

It was practically a miracle.

So when fate had given her an opportunity, she should have run.

When the knife that had been pointed at her neck fell to the floor, she should have fled without even looking back.

But Mona couldn’t bring herself to do that.

Seeing the creature standing there with a dagger embedded in its stomach, she, a monster enthusiast, simply couldn’t bring herself to walk away so heartlessly.

Some might point fingers at her and call her a witch, but Mona didn’t believe monsters were evil.

They simply loved disorder and chaos instinctively, as though following their mother. At least, unlike humans, they didn’t harbor malice.

After hesitating for a moment, Mona eventually pulled the blade from the monster’s abdomen and pressed a handkerchief against the wound.

Monsters, regardless of their species, generally had excellent self-healing abilities. This should be enough.

“!?”

Having more or less eased her conscience, Mona was just about to head home when she flinched.

The monster had suddenly reached out and gently caught the collar of her clothes.

And it was looking at her with an utterly forlorn expression.

Unfortunately, this cunning monster had the face of the most handsome man in the Empire, making its sorrowful gaze remarkably persuasive.

Mona even felt as though she were doing something terrible, and bit down on her lip.

She couldn’t believe it…… It had actually grabbed her.

‘Perhaps the perfume worked a little too well.’

Well, the old book had said that just two or three drops would be enough, but she had spilled the concentrated essence……

The concentrated scent was even affecting Mona, the perfume’s creator.

As she continued inhaling the sweet fragrance rising from the skirt she’d spilled it on, her head grew increasingly dizzy.

Before she knew it, her neck and cheeks had begun to burn, too. Mona hurriedly rubbed the back of her hand against her flushed cheeks.

‘I’m dizzy…….’

Her physical reaction was almost identical to the time she’d downed three shots of tequila in a row without knowing her own limits.

What was this? Something didn’t feel right.

‘Could this be another side effect of my experiment?’

She really needed to go home first……

That was certainly what her mind was telling her.

But the warning signal that had briefly lit up in her head gradually faded beneath the sweetness constantly stimulating her nostrils.

Before she knew it, Mona was reaching out as though bewitched toward the monster clutching her collar like a child.

Was it because she was intoxicated by the fragrance?

Now that things had come to this, she felt an urge to investigate the beautiful creature in front of her more closely.

When would she ever get another chance like this?

A Doppelgänger would disappear when daylight came……

“Now, stay still. Okay?”

Mona gently patted its arm as though she were handling a slime, then began examining the monster.

‘Apart from its red eyes, I really can’t tell it’s a monster just by looking at it…….’

Would it feel different if she touched it?

Mona swallowed nervously and cautiously reached out to touch its cheek.

That was when her hand was suddenly seized, and hot breath brushed against the crown of her head.

The monster abruptly began inhaling her scent deeply, making Mona flinch.

Even when she instinctively took a step back, it followed her forward. This time, it buried its nose against the nape of her neck.

What on earth was happening?

The strange, unfamiliar sensation of its nose rubbing against her sensitive neck made her vision spin.

“Ah…… Um. You shouldn’t do this…… Stay……”

She barely managed to mumble through her tangled tongue when the creature gazed at her again with those sorrowfully moist eyes.

Its eyes were no longer the predator’s blood. Instead, they shimmered as they reflected the moonlight, like the deep waters of the ocean at midnight.

Without realizing it, Mona reached out and traced the area around the monster’s eyes.

“Your eyes……”

They’ve changed……

“Are you…… scared?”

At that moment, the small, low voice that reached her ear somehow sounded lonely to Mona.

When she shook her head, the monster took her hand and pressed it against its broad chest.

Feeling the heartbeat and intense warmth beneath her palm, Mona murmured dazedly.

“It’s warm……”

A Doppelgänger shouldn’t be warm.

Of course, it shouldn’t have a heart, either.

How strange.

Just then, a tongue radiating even greater heat slid across her palm.

Her palm felt as though it were being seared by fire, yet the burning sensation slowly traveled up her wrist as the tongue continued to trace its way along her skin, leaving her mind completely blank.

The heat that had risen from her palm passed her wrist and soon spread throughout her entire body.

For a moment, a dull ache spread through the shoulder she’d burned long ago.

But the pain was soon forgotten beneath the intense heat touching her lips, leaving behind only a sweet, intoxicating sensation she had never experienced before.

Along with the soft sensation of lips slowly enveloping hers, the sweet fragrance rising from her entire body filled every breath.

Her toes kept curling, and she felt as though she were floating.

The unfamiliar, strangely sensual stimulation made her throat grow thirsty again and again.

Before she knew it, Mona was wrapped in the man’s hot embrace as though bewitched, swallowing as if craving his sweet saliva while winding her arms around his shoulders.

 

***

 

Chirp, chirp.

Somewhere, she could hear birds singing.

Aah! My head……

Mona’s eyes flew open as she felt an intense headache, as though someone were pounding her head with a hammer, along with an unbearable thirst.

The first thing that entered her vision was an unfamiliar ceiling, oddly tilted to one side.

‘W-where am I?’

Just as she hurriedly tried to sit up, a creaking sound rang out as the wood scraped against itself.

Mona checked the state of the bed and nearly had a heart attack. One of its legs had been completely smashed, leaving the mattress tilted to one side.

The floor was also a complete mess, littered with all sorts of broken objects.

It looked exactly as though she’d fought a full-scale battle with a monster……

‘……Wait. A monster?’

Mona abruptly held her breath and turned her head. Her mind went completely blank.

Beside her, bathed in dazzling sunlight, a breathtakingly handsome blond man was sleeping like a figure in a painting.