HNAL Extras 1 - 4

 

Extra 1 - His After Story (Yukiya)

Just what the hell was that guy?

Scurrying down the mountain, I looked up at the night sky where Michika and the white dragon disappeared into the distance. The night sky was dyed in red from the flames rising from the mountain, covering the starry sky from how bright they were.

“Damn it…”

I thought I was cursing towards the sky. But all that came out from my mouth was empty air. My throat had been burned from inhaling the hot air.

My body was burning and tingling all over. Making me wonder… how I made it down the mountain alive.

I had to get back to the city as soon as possible. I didn’t care who, whether a  physician or a healer. If I didn’t get treatment right now, I would die.

I wondered what percentage of human skin had to be burned before it was considered to be fatal. I tried to remember knowledge from the other world, but the pain made my thoughts fade into the distance.

I walked dragging my body, feeling an extreme pain.

Michika, my dear Michika.

The figure of Michika appeared in my mind. I fell in love with her, I hurt her, I lost her, and I had been looking for her ever since. My adorable princess.

However, the Michika who I met again was no longer the old Michika.

That wasn’t Michika. Thinking that, I clenched my teeth.

I remembered the way Michika stared straight at me, unafraid of my words. There wasn’t a shred of affection in her eyes.

Michika showed more emotions than she had in the past to that fair beautiful man.

How could she lose feelings for me?

My consciousness that screamed it was my fault and the other consciousness that screamed that it was Michika’s fault clashed in my heart.

I loved her, I wanted to cherish her. I just didn’t know I had such a beast inside me.

It was all because of the day that led to Michika’s confinement.

If it hadn’t been for that day, I wonder if I would still be laughing with her today.

Or should I have gotten a job and married her when I had more composure in my heart?

I wondered when I started doing things wrong.

But there was no point in lamenting the past.

What had been lost would never come back.

That Michika whom I protected, smiling gently at me was gone.

That Michika who was observing every detail on my countenance, being frightened of me was also gone.

There she was, standing firm, a whole different woman who no longer needed me.

My Michika was gone, gone from both worlds.

My body swayed, I was staggering. I felt my body fall to the ground, but my eyes couldn’t catch anything anymore.

It was dark. It was just dark.

Being in this other world alone, I would probably die.

“Michika.”

I whispered in a barely audible voice.

I wanted to see her from those days. I wanted to see her, the lovely girl who used to follow me around with a smile on her face.

Then we could start all over again… me and Michika.

My consciousness was enveloped in darkness. I thought I heard a woman’s voice before everything was blank.

“Oh, what an interesting find.”

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I saw a white wooden ceiling. The next thing I could perceive was a strong scent of medicinal herbs.

I looked around and saw multiple herbs drying everywhere, and various bottles of medicine lined up on the shelves.

I was picked up by a physician and survived.

My body was wrapped in white bandages. I could smell the strong scent of medicine tickling my nose.

I wondered if I had it lucky or not.

I thought, as I propped myself up. However, I promptly laid back down on the bed, groaning from the pain.

At the same time, I noticed a strange feeling.

My neck was attached with something. Feeling it up, It seemed to be a collar.

I had a bad feeling about this.

I heard there was something called a ‘submission collar’ that was worn by slaves. I wondered if this might be it.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

A clear voice called out to me.

I looked over and saw a woman standing there, clad all in black.

She was stunningly beautiful. But at the same time, I instinctively felt that she was a dangerous woman.

“Who are you?”

I tried to ask, but my voice was still so hoarse it wouldn’t come out. The woman noticed that and smiled at me.

“My name is Mia, also known as the Witch of the Night Forest. I felt a disturbing presence coming from Mount Canal, so I went to see what it was and found you there.”

Mia looked down at me with a bewitching smile on her face.

I’ve had heard about the ‘Witch of the Night Forest’ several times from people I had met in this world.

They said, she was a powerful witch with a connection to the Royal Family.

They said, she was a woman who was willing to get her hands dirty for the sake of her quest.

They said, she was as vindictive as a snake and should not be touched.

She was a woman whom nobody knew what she would do if her favorite things were being messed up with.

With Mia in front of me, I was convinced that all of these rumors were true.

The presence this woman gave off was too iffy.

“You are that girl’s former mate in the other world… what a stupid man. You’ve torn your own bond to shreds.”

Mia looked at me with scrutinizing eyes, as if she could see through something.

I felt as if I were being stripped naked. I shivered, as I got goose bumps all over my body.

I wonder if what she meant by ‘that girl’ was Michika.

“You tried to get her in this world, too, and she turned on you. How stupid of you, when she has that dragonkin on her side. You are no match to him him even with the principal of this world.”

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term of ‘dragonkin’. But Mia didn’t seem to be willing to tell me what it was.

“I’m quite fond of Michika.”

As I expected, ‘that girl’ was Michika.

That woman’s fair hand reached out to me, gently caressing my cheek before she went down and stroked my collar.

“You know what this is, don’t you? It’s submission collar. From now on, I am your master.”

I knew this was a submission collar.

What would she do to me? Would I be safe with her?

My thoughts were spinning in circles, but there was no way out already.

“You will not be free from now on. I will control everything until the day you die. I’ll even use you for my experiments. I may have to take some of your fingers and toes for my experiments. After what you’ve done to her, you don’t mind, do you? Don’t worry. I’m going to take you with me on my collecting trips to dangerous places, so I won’t take your ability to walk. I’ll let you live until your lifespan is fulfilled, so don’t worry about that either.”

Mia’s words sent shivers down my spine. But I couldn’t move a single bit, perhaps because of the collar.

“You’re too noisy. I don’t need your voice. Open your mouth.”

My body moved from her command. It was the first time I had felt such an unpleasant experience. I knew that something would definitely be done to me, but my mouth opened by itself. That woman mercilessly dropped a chemical solution into my open mouth.

“….!!!”

It felt like my burned throat had been tied up. I let out a soundless scream from the sensation.

“That’s it. From now on, you’ll always be a good, quiet boy.”

Mia said with satisfaction and gently patted my throat, which was drenched in cold sweat.

“I’m going to change your face so that if she sees you, she won’t notice. What kind of face do you want? I don’t like having ugly people around me. But if you’re too beautiful, there might be misunderstanding. It’s better to be moderate.”

Mia’s voice sounded so beautiful as she happily rummaged through the medicine cabinet.

I could only shed tears of fear as I thought about my future.

Extra 2 - Minnea and Her Love Story (Minnea)

I, Minnea, just lost my mate.

It wasn’t that he was dead.　

My bond with him had been ‘severed’ and the existence of my mate had been ‘ripped off’ from my soul.

When a beastkin met their mate, they fell in love and made love to each other.

The mate I found was a beastkin, yet he couldn’t sense his mate’s presence and didn’t show any interest in me. On the contrary, he abhorred me.

Cedric was probably a mixed-race, not a pure beastkin.

“Ahhh! I can’t take it anymore!”

I gulped down some ale. The emptiness of losing my mate. The inexplicable heartache of losing half my soul. It gnawed me day after day.

The way I approached him after I met him was rude.

I thought I’d obtain him for sure since he was my mate… so I selfishly used coercive means.

All of my methods only invited Cedric’s fury.

As I lay drunk at the corner of the bar, I was pricked by the gazes of amorous-looking men.

If one of these men were to handle me roughly…

I wondered if the sadness and pain in my heart would be relieved.

Glancing at them, I could see the anticipation in their eyes.

Just as I grabbed my beer jug and about to move towards them,

Someone placed their hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t drink too much, miss.”

It was a man who looked to be about eighteen years old.

He was a human. And he had a fairly average look.

Chestnut brown hair and dark brown eyes. His cheeks were covered with freckles.

“They’re no good. They often made a commotion in our store.”

The man stealthily whispered into my cat ears. Apparently, this guy worked here.

“Then, would you like to have a drink with me?”

I asked, hoping that having a drink with him would distract me. The man thought about it for a moment before calling out to the owner over the counter. Listening to the conversation, I could tell that he was the owner’s son.

“I’m Kaito. What’s your name?”

Kaito smiled as he sat down next to me.

“I’m Minnea. I wonder if you could comfort this poor me, who lost a mate today.”

I smiled at him.

“With pleasure,” Kaito replied and ordered his own drink from the owner.

And that was somewhat the beginning of our relationship.

“I never thought we would end up dating…”

I murmured, glancing at Kaito who was walking next to me.

Kaito pursed his lips, sulking.

“You mean, with this kid?

Yes, Kaito was a kid.

The day I met him, I thought he was just barely an adult.

We hooked up the second time and the third time in an inn. He was surprisingly energetic (according to what I heard later, it was a result of his virginity and his eagerness), and after making love to him, I found out that he was 14 years old.

I ended up dating him as he pestered me to go out with him.

Although, I didn’t have any interest in kids.

Staring at Kaito with that thought in my mind, he kissed me on the cheek with a slight blush on his face.

"I love you, Minnea”

His dazzling straight gaze was boring at me. It created a strange uncomfortable feeling in me.

"I’m sure you just misunderstand since I am an older girl who took your virginity.”

“I am not. That day, you looked sad and lonely, Minnea. I thought I could cheer you up, so I approached you. You were was surprisingly needy. So I thought, I want to be with you.”

"Needy…”

The only thing I remember vividly about the day I met Kaito was the intense sexual intercourse we had.

That was what I remembered from being drunk.

But… I didn’t remember I acted needy with this kid, that was embarrassing.

“Minnea, I hope you like me back.”

Kaito whispered as he gently held my hand.

I never thought of any man other than my mate.

I didn’t feel any emotion at all when people taking interest in me.

But now,

I felt that it was okay to be happy with this slightly mature boy.

It baffled me that I started to feel that way.

Perhaps, this was what humans called 'love’.

T/N

Lmao another shota.

Extra 3 - The Lovers Ordinary Life [½] (Cedric)

“Ced, let’s go shopping. We don’t have enough food and the maids are on vacation.”

Michika said as she put on her bag. If it was groceries, I’d carry it, though.

Michika was strange.

Most households did not give their maids long vacations.

But Michika always gave her maids long vacations in summer and winter.

I found it odd. When I asked her why, she laughed and said, “Because that’s how it was in my previous world.”

I heard that in the world where Michika used to live, there was ‘Obon’ in the summer and ‘New year’ in the winter. Obon was the time where we would spend time with the souls of the dead, and New year  was when we were meant to celebrate the beginning of the new year. This was why in Michika’s country, both the poor and the rich took vacations.

It wasn’t even just some place, but a different world altogether. I think it was a strange custom.

Although, I was glad that Michika smiled at me when she told me about this strange custom.

“Let’s go, Michka. Is there anything else we should buy besides food…?”

“I want a matching ribbon with Ced. Something to tie my hair with.”

“Alright.”

Saying such childish stuff,  Michika was very cute.

It took me a long time to get to this point.

Even after we became lovers, Michika tried to be the mature one when she was with me. And it was inevitable. Michika was fourteen years older than me, and she was an actual adult. Besides, she had been seeing me as her child for four years.

It was only natural for her to find it difficult to suddenly stop acting like an adult.

However, these day Michika started to show me her true self.

I was so happy. I just couldn’t help but felt happy.

“Michika.”

“Yes?”

“I… love you.”

I whispered, kissing her cheek. Michika’s face turned bright red.

No matter how many times we made love to each other, we were still acting like a new couple.

“W-what? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just let out something that’s always been on my mind.”

I smiled and led her by the hand. Michika looked a little doubtful, but followed me along.

Stepping on a fresh ground of grass, we walked along the path to the city. It was a little far from the mansion. This distance, which could be reached on foot but not so far as to require a carriage, was probably the most appropriate for Michika, who lived her life avoiding social interaction as much as possible.

If she was living in a city, she inevitably had more contact with people. But if she was living too far away from the city, her business would be hampered. For Michika, the mansion was in the perfect location.

At first I didn’t understand why Michika, who seemed so friendly, avoided socializing.

It was only after I saw Michika’s power that it finally became clear to me.

If someone found that out, it would attract people who were planning to do something bad.

“The wind feels good.”

Michika said, squinting her eyes as if she was enjoying it. Her long black hair was dancing in the breeze, although some strands were resting on her cheek. She brushed them off, placing them over her ears, a gesture that had a certain sexiness to it.

“You’re right.”

I agreed with her words. It was indeed a beautiful day, and the breeze was pleasant.

After walking for a while, the city gates came into view.

We greeted the gate guards and stepped into the city.

Meat, vegetables, seasonings.

We went to many stores and bought our necessities. Michika said she would put them in her bag, but I held them in my hand without even asking her. And yet…

“I’m sad, I can’t hold hands with Ced.”

That’s what Michika said. I put the lightest groceries inside Michika’s bag. But, somehow it felt like she was doing it on purpose.

The shopping was mostly done, so we were walking around the city holding hands with no aim when Michika let out an “Oh”.

I looked over to see Minnea and a young man were walking together.

They didn’t notice us, but seemed to be enjoying themselves as. The man was clearly in love with Minnea. I was a little surprised to see that there was someone who fancied her. I mean, she was a beautiful woman. But the impression she made when she stalked me to the mansion was too strong for me.

“She found someone. I’m glad she’s looking so happy.”

Michika said, she was smiling with genuine happiness. How kind of Michika, despite Minnea gave her a really bad time.

“It’s good she’s looking happy.”

I said, not sincere, but not a lie either. I didn’t want Minnea to be miserable either.

After watching them leave all flirty, Michika and I started walking again.

Extra 4 - The Lovers’ Ordinary Life [2/2] (Cedric)

“Ah that’s Ms. Witch. Ms. Witch!”

Michika shouted, pointing to the midst of the crowd. The ‘Witch of the Night Forest’ was standing there. Even in the midst of the crowd, her presence was somehow foreign. Only there was the space seemed to be engulfed by darkness as it felt gloomy.

The Witch seemed to hear Michika and turned to us slowly.

“Michika…? Doing some shopping?”

She took a glance at us with her obsidian eyes, which seemed able to see through everything, before showing us her bewitching smile. She was a mysterious woman as usual.

I saw a man standing behind the Witch. I was not sure if I could call him a beautiful man with his blond hair and blue eyes. The man was wearing an overcoat that covered his neck. He was also carrying a lot of luggage in his hands. I wondered if he was a servant of the Witch. He must not have been there when I visited the place when Minnea incident occurred.

But for some reason, I had an unpleasant sense of déjà vu with this man.

“Good day, Ms. Witch! Who is that man?”

Michika greeted the Witch, before tilting her head when she looked at the man. Even Michika, who had known the Witch for a fair amount of time, didn’t seem to know him.

“Voiceless. That’s what I call him because he can’t talk when I picked him up. Hey, say hello.”

At the Witch’s command, the man bowed his head. The Witch stroked the man’s head with a gentle but somewhat rough movement. When I looked closely, I could see many scars on the man’s exposed skin. There must be a reason why he couldn’t talk.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Voiceless! I’m Michka.”

“I’m Cedric…”

When we greeted him, Voiceless, slightly bowed his head again. His face was as emotionless as a doll’s, and his blue eyes were looking terribly dull.

I didn’t want to leave Voiceless and Michika in the same place.

I gently tugged Michika’s hand, which was interlaced with mine as I had that hunch for some reason.

Michika looked up at me curiously.

“Ced? What’s the matter?”

“Michika, I’m hungry.”

“What are you talking about in the middle of a conversation?”

Michika only gave me a wry smile as if she was saying nothing she could do about it when I tried to act childish. How regretful…

“Fufu. You’re saying something a child would.”

The Witch said with amusement as she narrowed her eyes. But it was only because of the creepy man she was with… It was a shame, really, because Michika had been treating me less like a child lately…

“Ms. Witch. I’m sorry! I was the one who called out to you but I’m afraid Ced can’t wait any longer, so please excuse me. I will come and visit you when I get some interesting herbs in hand.”

“Yeah, I’m counting on you Michika.”

With that, the Witch gracefully turned around and walked away.

But, Voiceless remained standing, staring at Michika for some reason.

Michika tilted her head as she stared back at Voiceless.

My heart raced. An unpleasant wave hit me. I gently tugged Michika’s hand, trying to keep her away from Voiceless.

Then, Voiceless opened his lips despite him not able to say anything out loud, as if he tried to say something.

“Come, Voiceless.”

The Witch told him in a cold tone, back still facing here. Voiceless jumped, his body trembled as he turned his eyes away from Michika. He went to follow the With with his back hunched.

Then, I saw something disturbing sparkly thing on his neck.

“He is kind of strange, isn’t he?”

Michika mumbled, her brow wrinkled as she thought about something.

“He seems to be a bit unusual. But more importantly, Michika, I’m hungry.”

I said in a childish tone purposely distract Michika. Hearing that, Michika smiled and turned her attention back to me.

It was better this way, not getting involved in something inauspicious.

Voiceless was wearing a submission collar around his neck.

But the fact that the man was a slave of the Witch itself was not important.

If Michika noticed the collar, the kind Michika would try to get close to Voiceless.

I had to prevent that.

I was getting too wary of this man I just met for some reason. And I was convinced that this feeling was correct.

“Let’s get something to eat and go home.”

Michika showed a lovely smile before heading towards the restaurant district. I gently pulled her small hand to stop her.

“I want to go home and eat Michika’s cooking…”

“We’ve come all the way to the city, and you’re fine with my cooking?”

Michika widened her eyes. I only gave her a smile.

“Michika’s cooking is good. It tastes better than any cook’s food.”

“Ced…”

Michika’s cheeks turned red as she gave me a shy smile. When I saw Michika like that, I naturally broke into a smile. She was the most adorable thing in the world.

“Then it can’t be helped. I’ll do my best! Although, I can’t make something too grand.”

“Michka’s food is always delicious.”

“But everything is delicious to you, Ced.”

Michika pouted her lips in dissatisfaction despite hearing my true feeling.

There was nothing in this world that tasted better than what my dear Michika made for me.

“It really is delicious. Should I help you with cooking?”

“Yes, please.”

“And tomorrow, I’ll be the one cooking.”

“Thank you. I can’t wait to try Ced’s cooking.”

Making our way back to the mansion, we talked about trivial things.

I was happy.

I would also be happy tomorrow and the day after. As long as I was with Michika, I’d always be happy.

A/N

I said it’s their everyday life but it was their day off instead, with some unusual scenes mixed  in.

I’m going to end the story for now, and come back when the next extra story is ready.

Next chapter will be about finding Ced’s parents.

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