It's been 24 hours since I entered the Gate. I was tired because I hadn't slept properly and had been running around the Gate. The problem was that I hadn't defeated enough monsters yet.
"It's taking longer than I thought."
If I hadn't been so desperate to stand by Shi-hyun's side, it would have been over sooner.
"I'm slowing us down."
When I blamed myself, Shi-hyun was horrified.
"Absolutely not, so don't even think like that."
She's denying it so vehemently, it's suspicious, you know? Of course, I was too exhausted to press the issue.
"Yeah, yeah."
It felt like I was only losing out by talking to Shi-hyun.
"How many more do we have to catch?"
"Well...."
It seems like Shi-hyun doesn't have a clue either.
"Since it's a request, we have to exterminate them more thoroughly."
Ah... it's different from when it was just the two of us.
"Then shall we try a little harder...."
"Without resting more?"
"It's more comfortable to rest outside."
No matter how considerate Shi-hyun is being, it's hard to rest comfortably inside the Gate.
If the forced march continued, I would get sleepy, and I wouldn't know if I was sleeping or walking.
"I guess it was too much...."
"Heueu?"
Wh-where am I? Did I fall asleep?
"Let's rest for a bit."
"I-I'm okay."
"I want to rest."
"Ugh...."
Shi-hyun spread a blanket nearby and laid me down.
"Sleep for at least an hour."
"Sorry...."
I was so tired that I couldn't even hear Shi-hyun properly. I'm such a nuisance....
*
I woke up more than 4 hours later. Seriously! I was so surprised when I checked the time....
"Y-You should have woken me up!"
"It's better than making a mistake while dozing off."
Ugh, I had nothing to say. Still, after taking a nap, I regained my senses, and Shi-hyun seemed to be in good condition, too, as if she had rested. With enough rest, we were in good shape and advanced like a house on fire, defeating as many monsters as possible. After enduring a schedule of over 40 hours, I was exhausted in many ways.
"Good job."
"Is this enough?"
"Probably? Judging by the number of magic stones, it looks like we've taken care of about 80%."
My three pockets are full of magic stones, and it's only 80%....
"Are you tired? Should I give you a piggyback ride?"
"Would it be better to get a piggyback ride if we want to get out quickly?"
"I guess... so?"
Let's not be stubborn here and just get a piggyback ride. Even though I have a lot of luggage, it'll be better for both Shi-hyun and me to get out quickly and rest.
I held out my hands and asked for a piggyback ride, and Shi-hyun looked at me with surprised eyes. I guess it's surprising that I, who used to be stubborn, am now obediently acting spoiled.
Honestly, I wanted to say that I would walk on my own two feet, but I was too tired.
If it were before I got weaker, if I had the same strength as I did in my prime, I would have endured it... it's a shame.
Shi-hyun skillfully carried me on her back and packed her luggage.
And before long, we ran into a big problem.... Since we were running so fast, there was bound to be shaking, and there was a big obstacle between us.
Shi-hyun was trying to pretend she didn't notice, but I could feel her excessively bending her body to minimize the collision or hesitating.
There's no way I wouldn't know! I can feel my chest bumping every time I shake!
"S-Shi-hyun?"
"Are you uncomfortable?"
"N-No...."
Shi-hyun couldn't look at me properly. Ahaha... seriously, my body is causing problems. After moving a little further, Shi-hyun stopped.
"Sorry, I'll change my posture a bit."
She was forcing herself to endure the discomfort.... Shi-hyun put the bags she had been carrying in front on her back.
"W-Well, it might be uncomfortable, but please bear with it."
After packing all her luggage, Shi-hyun picked me up in her arms. This princess carry, it's a pretty unstable position....
"Are you going to be okay?"
"Maybe?"
It took a lot of strength in her arms, and it wasn't easy for me to hang on either. On top of that, it was hard for me to hug Shi-hyun's neck to hold on. Damn breasts! You're not helping! Shi-hyun thought she was ready and quickly ran out. Does she still have energy left? She's really amazing....
When we arrived at the entrance, Shi-hyun put me down. We can finally get out.
"Ugh, I'm tired."
If I'm being really, really honest, my body hurt all over. At least I slept, so my mind was clear, but the aftereffects of the strain remained in my body.
"Shall we go out?"
"Yeah."
Shi-hyun took my hand, just like when we came in. I endured the pain in my body as much as possible so that Shi-hyun wouldn't worry.
When we went to record our entry and exit, the public official thanked us.
Shi-hyun smiled gently. If that public official had been a woman, I might have gotten angry, but... since he was a man, I stayed still.
"Can you wash yourself?"
"Of course, of course."
Shi-hyun scanned my body up and down.
"Okay, if you say so, then I guess so."
Did she notice? Actually, I had muscle pain. It would have been stranger if I didn't have any problems after such a forced march. It hurts now, but it'll probably be worse tomorrow.
"W-Well, should I wash up first?"
"Yeah."
I left Shi-hyun to watch my back and headed to the shower room. It felt so good to have lukewarm water soaking my body. That feeling of gently enveloping my aching body....
I wanted to use the water for longer, but this wasn't home. Since the capacity of the water tank was limited, I shouldn't use too much. I roughly finished up and came out, and Shi-hyun had warmed up some porridge.
"Here, eat this and rest."
"Yeah, thanks."
She's cleaned up the equipment and everything.... When the warm porridge entered my body, I felt cozy and drowsy.
"Ugh, I'm sleepy...."
Is it because I've filled my stomach? It felt like the fatigue I had been holding back until now was rushing in. I have to see Shi-hyun come out....
I tried to hold on, but my eyelids kept closing. Ah, no....
* * *
I came to the Gate with my wife. I deliberately chose a low-level Gate request to move with the same feeling as in the old days. The problem was that he only thought about it in a good way.
We quickly dealt with the pond where the boss was. If I had known earlier that my wife was mesmerized by the sight, I could have made some time for her to watch....
When the full-scale subjugation began, I could see my wife struggling. He really hadn't thought about it. Even though there was a break and her abilities had declined a bit, I thought it would be okay.
But it wasn't. My wife was weaker and less perceptive than he had expected. Of course, unlike before, he had become stronger, so there was no chance of getting hurt, but it was a miscalculation. It was a misjudgment.
If there hadn't been a request, we could have moved around as if we were just playing....
We even had an argument during the break. The moment I heard my wife's feelings, I was happy, and I realized in detail that there were things he hadn't thought about.
'I hate that I can't help you.'
Those words my wife said hurt so much. If a similar situation unfolded? He would have thought similarly. To not have paid attention to such trivial details, he had become complacent because he had become a little stronger.
My wife kept trying to follow him. She didn't say anything because she was sulking, but... that look was also cute and lovely. As expected, even as she got older, my wife was the only source of energy. As the battle continued, I could see that my wife's movements were getting worse. I wish she would tell me if it was because she was tired or if there was something wrong, but she never said anything. That's why I was more worried.
I arbitrarily adjusted the pace, but as time went on, my wife's slump grew. So I forced her to sleep. Seeing her sleep without tossing and turning even though the floor was hard, I could tell how much she had overdone it.
I was an idiot. He was definitely an idiot. If there hadn't been a request...!!! It was already too late to blame himself. All he had to think about was relieving the burden in the future.
"You're having a hard time, but you don't even say it."
Is it that important to stand by his side? All she has to do is be by his side. He gently stroked her hair as she slept soundly.
"I love you."
What does she think of him like this? Won't she get tired of him? No... if she did, she would have left a long time ago. There was no reason to try so hard to stand by his side.
He had a new thought.
"You're so obsessed...."
I knew it to some extent, but was it this bad? The way his wife scolded him for not waking her up after she woke up was also lovely. After that, it was a forced march.
When we roughly finished the subjugation, his wife was exhausted. Her gait was unsteady, and I could see her paying attention to various parts of her body, as if she was in pain.
He wondered how he could persuade his wife without hurting her pride, so he decided to go with the direct approach.
His wife came into his arms willingly. He could see that she didn't want to cause any more trouble.
He was about to carry his wife out, but there was a small problem.
Every time he ran, the feeling of her breasts on his back made him dizzy. Even though there was definitely armor, the softness was conveyed, so he suppressed his burning face and headed out as quickly as possible. He couldn't stand it in the middle and changed his posture, but this side wasn't very comfortable either. When he hugged her tightly and his wife came into his arms, her breasts were pressed tightly.
He really endured it and ran hard to reach the exit. When he came out of the Gate and checked his wife's complexion, she looked like she was about to collapse at any moment, so he wanted to quickly return to the car.
After completing the simple procedure and arriving at the camper van, he told her to wash up first. While his wife was washing up, he prepared warm porridge.
"It'll be hard next time, right?"
He thought he should be careful about going to the Gate with his wife in the future. He knew his wife would be weaker, but he didn't know she would have such a hard time. It was his mistake.
"Don't do it in conjunction with a request...."
If possible, it would be good to go to a place where they can relax and play, and considering his wife's stamina, it would be good to keep the schedule short. He tried to make three plans in his own way, but....
"It's going to be tough."
It was hard to coordinate his schedule. He was still an A-Rank, even if he was washed up, and there were always Gates that were neglected and causing problems in the country. And that's not all? Dangerous high-level Gates were always short of manpower.
"I regret it...."
He slammed his head on the table. No matter how he thought about it, this schedule was too hasty. He couldn't easily take time off, so he did it together with the request, and that was the biggest mistake.
If he wanted to make time to be with her, it would be right to just work hard and make a holiday.
"It can't be helped."
He took care of his wife who came out after washing up, and it was hard to resist the fragrant smell. But he couldn't make his tired wife suffer. When he washed up and came out, his wife had finished eating the porridge and was sleeping.
"She must have been tired."
It was a forced march, so it was understandable. That's why his heart ached. He made his wife suffer because of his foolish actions.
"I want to let her sleep like this, but...."
If she slept on her stomach, her back would hurt, so he carefully picked her up and moved her to the bed so that she wouldn't wake up.
"Good night...."
He watched over his lovely wife from the side.