Caspian woke up the next morning as rays of light shone through the window and into his eyes. He groaned several times and tried to turn around, but he couldn't because his left arm was pinned to the bed by a smaller, softer body. Frowning, he opened his eyes and saw nothing but a sea of silvery blonde. It was Elincia's hair. As he blinked several more times, he realized that her back and shoulders were completely exposed as she, like him, rested on her side.
Last night Elincia had passed out when they were about to have sex. Caspian, after taking care of the problem that came from being aroused but having no outlet, had taken off all of Elincia's clothes, removed his own, and then climbed into bed. If he remembered correctly, he had fallen asleep while lying on his back. He and Elincia must have changed positions. Not only was she pinning his left arm to the bed, but his right arm was hugging her hip. His hand was also cupping the area between her legs.
Removing his hand, Caspian took several deep breaths, doing his best to calm down. He wasn't panicking, of course. However, waking up like this was causing his libido to spike. Given how drunk Elincia had gotten yesterday, he didn't think she'd be up for doing anything sexy today.
They also had things they needed to do.
"Elincia. It is time to wake up."
Caspian sent his words through the bond, which was far more effective than saying them out loud. Telepathy allowed him to penetrate her mind and speak to her directly.
Just as he expected, Elincia stirred as his words echoed inside of her head. Yawning, she sat up, allowing him to retract his slightly numb arm. Her small breasts were completely exposed. She didn't seem to notice as she cupped her face and groaned in complaint. A pained grimace passed over her.
"Caspian... why does my head hurt so much?"
He gave her a wry smile even though she couldn't see it. "You don't remember? You drank far too much last night. I had to carry you to bed, where you passed out. I believe what you have now is called a hangover."
"A hangover? What a dreadful thing." Elincia pressed both hands to her face. "I am never drinking again. Never ever again. Ugh... I feel sick too."
Caspian felt sympathy toward Elincia, who he suspected drank the coconut milk and vodka last night without thinking about what she was drinking. She was so interested in trying new things that she often jumped into such matters head first. He reached over and rubbed her naked back. It probably didn't do much to help, but Elincia leaned into him and hummed softly.
"If one of your spirits can cure a hangover, I suggest you ask them," Caspian said.
"A spirit who can cure hangovers..." Elincia mumbled and narrowed her eyes. She shivered a little and soon began rubbing her bare arms as she thought about whether or not there were any spirits who could do that, until finally... "Aegir, can you please help me with my hangover?"
Aegir was primarily a spirit of the sea, but he was also the brewer to the spirits of the Nordic Clan. That was about the extent of Caspian's knowledge on him. Elincia had never called upon this spirit before, possibly because they didn't live near the sea, but also because she had never gotten drunk.
The air around Elincia hummed as mana suddenly filled the room, thick and powerful enough to make the hairs on Caspian's arms stand right up. Perhaps it was because Elincia was not using her body as a medium. Summoning a spirit to this plain by opening a gate, or even a partial gate, meant the unrestrained power of the spirit could be felt by those who were sensitive to such things.
Caspian looked back at Elincia as the mana in the room increased. As the sensation that vibrated the air continued, the elven sorceress began looking much better. Her back straightened, her cheeks regained their healthy vibrancy, and the pain clouding her eyes cleared up. Elincia sighed in relief as the mana disappeared.
"How do you feel?" asked Caspian. "Better?"
"Much better," Elincia said with a smile and a nod.
"Good." Caspian sighed in relief. "Now that you're hangover is cured, let's get dressed and head downstairs. We should have some breakfast before heading over to the docks."
"Okay. That sounds like a... wait." Elincia tilted her head as confusion flashed across her eyes. "What do you mean get dressed?"
"Huh?"
It took Caspian a moment to realize why Elincia was confused, but then he remembered that she had already passed out when he stripped her clothes off. His original thoughts had been that it would be uncomfortable to wear such confining clothes to bed. They also didn't have any pajamas. That being the case, he had stripped them both and fallen asleep... but now that he was thinking about it, that probably hadn't been the greatest idea. Maybe Elincia wasn't the only one who hadn't been completely sober last night.
As Caspian tried to think of what he should say, Elincia learned everything she needed to through their bond. Her eyes widened. Her cheeks gained a healthy dose of color. Then she looked down at her completely naked body, at her bare chest and crotch just barely covered by the blanket pooling around her waist.
"W-why am I naked?!" she screamed in shock.
Caspian knew there was nothing he could say, so he said nothing in the end.
***
The bright sun shone over head. The refreshing scent of the sea tickled Caspian's nose. He and Elincia were walking along the sidewalk, mixing in with the bustling crowd. Their appearances had once more been changed into the middle-aged couple like before. However, there was one clear difference.
Elincia was not holding his hand.
"Ele, are you really that angry at me?"
Caspian received no response from Elincia as she walked in front of him, weaving between the people as though it was natural. Her grace was such that those around her didn't even notice she was moving past them until she had already past. Their expressions of shock when she suddenly appeared on their side would have been amusing, but Caspian was dealing with something else right now.
"Look... I'm sorry. I wasn't sure what I was thinking. I just thought you'd be more comfortable without clothes..."
Despite apologizing, Elincia still said nothing. Caspian frowned as he tried to think of what he could do or say. Was there anything he could do to make Elincia forgive him? Nothing was coming to mind.
"Good morning, citizens of Dorumhold. This is your marquis speaking. I hope you are all having a wonderful morning. The day is young, and it's important to get off to a fresh start..."
As the marquis began talking over the PA system, Caspian looked up at the sky, and then at the streets below. There were all kinds of shops in this part of Dorumhold. One shop had a large sign with an anvil and hammer hanging over it. Another several meters away had a glass window displaying a frilly gown with a lot of pink lace. To his left was a clothier that apparently sold custom made clothing, and over on his right was a tavern, though it had yet to open.
Caspian looked back at Elincia. Realizing that he couldn't let things stay like this, he hurried over to her side, grabbed her hand, and began pulling her away from the main road and into an alley.
"Wha--Caspian?! What are you doing?! Where are you taking me?!"
Caspian didn't say anything to Elincia as he pulled her along. She tried to pry herself free, but he was far stronger than she was. Of course, she could have summoned a spirit to help her if she wanted. That would have stopped him cold. However, she probably hadn't even considered the idea.
He went far enough into the alley that he could no longer hear the noise of the crowd, and then whirled around on Elincia. She wore the face of another women just then. It was odd staring into the startled eyes of someone who didn't look like Elincia, but he could still feel her through the bond. That was enough.
Kneeling in front of her, he bowed his head to the startled girl like a knight swearing fealty to a princess.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't really think about how you would feel after waking up last night. I'm very sorry. Please forgive me."
"What...?" Elincia's eyes widened further. They were brown right now. Shaking her head, the disguised sorceress raised her hands and shook them back and forth. "Wh-why are you apologizing to me? I-I'm not mad at you or anything!"
"You're not?" He raised his head. "Then why have you been ignoring me?"
At his question, Elincia's cheeks gained a vibrancy that could have outdone the neon lights in Cassadinia during the night. They were colorful enough to light up the entire alley.
"That's... I was..."
"You were?"
"I was... embarrassed." Elincia turned her head away from him. The tips of her ears were bright red. "I got so drunk last night, and then I did and said all those strange things, and then I passed out and you stripped me..." She covered her face with her hands. "I'm so embarrassed I can't bring myself to talk to you right now."
Ah...
So that was it. Well, Caspian guessed he could understand where she was coming from. If he had accidentally gotten drunk, tried to have sex, passed out, and got stripped after passing out, he would have been embarrassed too. Still...
"I thought you were mad at me," Caspian said.
"I could never be mad at you," Elincia pouted. Her pout wasn't as attractive on this middle-aged face as it was on her normal face. As an elf, Elincia's feature retained an eternal youthfulness. Likewise, her pout made her appear young, which just looked all wrong with this disguise.
"I see. I'm glad to hear that." Caspian sighed in relief as he stood back up.
"Sorry if I gave you that impression," Elincia mumbled.
"It's okay. So long as you aren't actually angry with me."
The two of them smiled at each other as the bond between them sent their emotions over. Now that he was thinking about it, he hadn't felt any anger coming to him through the bond, though there had been plenty of embarrassment. He should have read the signs more clearly instead of getting himself worked up.
Caspian was about to suggest they head back to the main street and travel to the docks, but the sound of footsteps alerted him to several new presences.
He and Elincia turned around as several men stepped out from an alley. There were four of them. The man in the middle wore brown slacks and boots, but his shirt only covered his chest and left his stomach exposed. He wore at a pair of daggers at his hip. Meanwhile, the other three were dressed slightly more modestly, with brown pants, black shirts, and vests. Unlike the man in the lead, they had swords strapped to their waists.
"It seems we have a couple of lovebirds in the middle of a quarrel," the man in the lead said with a greasy smile. "Are you two lost? Take a wrong turn? Heh. Perhaps you would like us to show you the way back?"
"No thanks," Caspian said as he caressed the hilt of his sword, hidden within his cloak. "We can find our own way back."
"Now don't be like that." The men stepped forward. "We're good guys. I promise. Just follow us and we'll lead you right to where you need to go."
Caspian's sense of danger was going off as these men stepped forward, but of course, even a lout would have recognized the danger they were in. He could practically sense the ill-intent flying off these men. He didn't know what they wanted, but he had no intention of letting them have their way.
"Ele, step back while I take care of them."
"Okay. Should I use my spirits?"
"No. I'd rather you not give away who you are. Don't use your bow yet either. It won't do much good within an enclosed space like this."
"I understand."
He heard a discontent sigh within this mind as Elincia stepped back from him. Now that his sorceress was a safe distance away, he slid his feet along the ground and waited for the four men to reach him.
"What are you doing, old man? You aren't thinking of fighting us, are you? Look, just give up and come with us. If you do, I'll--gua?"
The man in the lead was unable to finish his last sentence when Caspian pulled his sword out and slammed the pommel into his jaw. An ominous crack echoed around them as the man stumbled back, holding a hand to his jaw as he screamed in agony. That blow had shattered his bones.
"What the--Eugine!"
"Damn you!"
"You'll pay for that!"
The man's three companions unsheathed their swords and charged at Caspian, who backpedaled to put some distance between him and them. He studied the three. They weren't even bothering with strategy. All three of them raced past their leader--Eugine was his name, wasn't it?--and charged straight down the middle. It was obvious they didn't have any training.
Caspian narrowed his eyes as the first one reached him. The man was a bit beefier than most. He swung his sword with a loud battlecry, but that cry was cut off midway when Caspian struck him in the throat with the pommel of his sword. His opponent dropped his sword and placed his hands against his throat as he gagged. This gave Caspian the perfect opportunity to kick the man into one of his companions.
"Dwa?!"
As the two men went down in a heap of limbs, the last man tried to bisect Caspian down the middle, but he sidestepped the swinging sword, and then brought his own sword up. He whispered a soft spell under his breath. Halkaista. His sword cut straight through his opponent's.
Now with only half a sword, the man backed up in shock, his eyes bulging in fear, before he tried to turn around and run. Caspian clicked his tongue as he picked up a glass bottle lying in the alley and chucked it at the man. The glass broke against the back of the man's head. He fell down face first and didn't get up, though it looked like he was still alive.
With those three now out of the way, Caspian turned to look at the first man he had struck. The man with two daggers at his hips had recovered a little from having his jaw broken. Of course, recovered was a misnomer. The man couldn't talk. However, he was no longer screaming in pain and was instead eying Caspian like he was some kind of abominable horror.
"It looks like you're the only one left." Caspian stalked toward the man, whose eyes trembled in fear. He walked slowly, making sure each step echoed over to his opponent, increasing the amount of fear this man felt for him. While Caspian wouldn't say he savored the way this guy looked at him, he couldn't deny that he was pleased. He couldn't stand people like this.
"Wa... wa... waaaaaaa!"
Caspian had expected the man to lose his shit and attack him with a reckless charge, but instead the man turned around and fled back down where he'd come from, leaving Caspian absolutely stunned.
"I'll remember this!" the man shouted as he turned just his head to glare at Caspian before disappearing around a corner.
Caspian blinked as he stood in the middle of a group of groaning bodies, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Did that loser really just run away from him? Seriously? Bandits were cowards by nature, sure, but it wasn't like they were completely without hope. Every bandit or highwayman he'd ever fought had at least been courageous enough to charge right at him after they realized it was hopeless.
He sighed and sheathed his sword.
"How stupid," he muttered.
As he stood there and lamented the fact that he hadn't been able to finish off his opponent, Elincia walked up to him. Her eyes shone with concern.
"Are you okay?"
"Of course." Caspian shrugged. "Those idiots didn't even land a single hit on me."
Elincia nodded as she looked at the three broken men lying on the ground. All of them were alive, of course, but they weren't gonna be walking any time soon. After studying the men, she looked back at Caspian.
"I feel like you enjoyed that way too much," she said.
"W-what? No." Caspian rubbed the back of his head. "You're imagining things." When all Elincia did was keep staring at him, he coughed into his hand. "Anyway... let's go to the docks."
"Yeah... okay..."
Caspian grabbed Elincia's hand, ignored the look she was giving him, and began leading her to the docks. They had work to do, after all.
***
A little more adorableness before they get to work. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The next one. The next one will progress the story... m-maybe.
Also, I just wanted to say that Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress' Knight's Tournament Part II is officially available on paperback and ebook at all major online retailers. If anyone here wants to help me out, I'd love it if you guys could get a copy or at least leave a review on Amazon. This universal link will take you to the Amazon page regardless of what country you live in: http://mybook.to/ArcadiasKnight4
P.S. One of the benefits that people who buy the book get are the black & white manga illustrations inside.