The NPC sets out to defeat the demon king-Chapter 11

Out of everything she could've forgotten to bring for this journey, Cecilia forgot one of the most important things and it was a sleeping bag.

"I'm very sorry," she said, dropping to her knees in genuine remorse, her head bowed as she clasped her hands together. "I honestly didn't think to bring one... I assumed we'd be resting at inns along the way."

"Inns?" I stared at her, incredulous. "Where the hell do you think we'd find an inn when we're deep inside this forest?"

Her shoulders slumped even more as she lowered her head. "That was my mistake. Please, forgive me."

I exhaled heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I guess we don't really have any other choice right now. We absolutely can't have you sleeping on bare dirt... not with how cold it gets out here. You'll have to share a sleeping bag with the goddess."

"W-Wait! Why mine?!" the goddess snapped, her eyes flaring wide with shock and protest.

I shrugged calmly. "First of all, you're both women. It's a hell of a lot more appropriate for you two to share than for either of you to sleep with me. And secondly, we can't risk someone getting sick because of the cold. It's not worth it."

"I-I suppose that makes sense..." the goddess mumbled, though her expression was still twisted in conflict and discomfort.

"If we make it to the next village quickly, we'll buy her a sleeping bag of her own. That'll fix this for good," I added, trying to end the discussion.

"Really? Yay!" Cecilia chirped, her entire face lighting up with childlike joy.

Good grief... I couldn't help but notice it again. Those damn breasts of hers bounced so much when she got excited. They were impossible not to notice.

After that, I turned my attention to preparing dinner. I didn't have anything fancy in mind. I just grilled the fish we caught earlier by the river.

By "we," I really meant me. The goddess hadn't helped at all, choosing instead to lounge around the entire time.

The meal ended up tasting as mediocre as I expected. Cecilia's expression made that clear. She had refined tastes, no doubt about that. The goddess, on the other hand, scarfed down everything like she didn't notice how bland it was.

Once we finished eating, we started getting ready for bed.

The two girls somehow managed to squeeze themselves together into a single sleeping bag. It looked uncomfortable, but it was the best we could do.

Meanwhile, I curled up alone in my own sleeping bag. Honestly? I was just glad I had mine to myself.

***

Somewhere deep into the night, I stirred as I felt someone gently shaking my shoulders.

My eyes blinked open slowly, adjusting to the darkness. At first, everything was a blur.

And then... clarity.

Hovering right above me was a face. A stunningly beautiful face.

She was leaning down, and her long, snow-white hair spilled like a curtain around her, framing her delicate features as the strands brushed softly against my face.

Even in my groggy haze, I couldn't help but think that this goddess was breathtaking.

"Hey! Wake up!" she whispered sharply, shaking me again with more urgency.

I blinked fully awake now, vision finally clearing.

She was hugging herself tightly, her arms wrapped around her shivering body.

It was freezing tonight, and it was written all over her. Her lips were trembling. Her shoulders were shaking.

"Why are you waking me up?" I murmured, still half-asleep but growing more aware of the situation.

"I..." she hesitated, her voice barely audible as she glanced downward. "Can I get into your sleeping bag instead?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair and rubbing the back of my neck. "Seriously? You woke me up just to ask that?"

I let out a quiet breath. "Look, I already told you, I can't afford to get cold while I sleep. If I do, I might catch something, and that could screw this whole journey up. That's why I've got to stay wrapped up in this sleeping bag."

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I shifted slightly, gesturing toward the sleeping Cecilia. "And besides... I'm not just going to crawl into her sleeping bag while she's asleep. That would be seriously messed up. She'd probably wake up, see me right next to her, and think I'm some kind of perverted trash trying to take advantage of her."

I sank back into the warmth of my sleeping bag, sighing softly as I pulled it snug around me.

The crisp night air outside nipped at the edges of the fabric, but inside, it was cozy.

I assumed the matter was settled.

But when I glanced over my shoulder, she was still there, motionless, not even trying to return to the sleeping bag she was supposed to share with Cecilia.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "If you're just going to stand there, you're going to catch a cold, you know? Didn't you say earlier that you're like a human now? Back when you were the all-powerful goddess handing out blessings, sure, maybe you were immune to something as trivial as the cold. But now? You'll get sick like anyone else. And trust me, getting a cold while out here in the forest is nothing short of miserable."

She shuffled awkwardly in place, her eyes glancing away.

"Cecilia..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "She's too big for me to stay comfortable next to her."

"Huh?"

"She keeps tossing and turning in her sleep. She mumbles things, too. I can't fall asleep next to that."

My gaze drifted over to Cecilia, who was sprawled out in the sleeping bag, utterly unaware of the world around her.

"Hehehe... Snoreeeeeee~..." she snorted, a sleepy grin plastered across her face.

I sighed again, rubbing a hand down my face. Yeah... it wasn't hard to imagine trying to share space with her was like trying to sleep next to a rolling boulder.

"I'm not saying I want you to go there and sleep beside her," the goddess added, looking down at the ground. Her voice had gone soft again, and a gentle pink blush dusted her cheeks. "I'm just saying... let me come in there and sleep with you."

I froze. My mind went blank for a second, and I just stared at her, unsure if I heard her correctly.

But then I noticed how badly she was shaking. Her arms wrapped tightly around her chest, her whole body curled in on itself like she was trying to disappear. Her breath came out in little white clouds, each one trembling. There was even a small, pathetic line of snot trailing from her nose now.

I didn't know if it was a divine tragedy or just plain sad, seeing a goddess reduced to this state of helplessness.

I wasn't even sure whether I should feel sympathetic... or honored to witness her reduced to this state.

With a heavy exhale, I shifted to the side, lifting the edge of my sleeping bag open to create space.

She didn't hesitate. Quietly, almost like she was afraid to be too loud, she slipped inside.

The moment her body pressed against mine, I flinched. Her skin was ice-cold—like she'd been dipped in frost—but she immediately began to melt into the warmth of the sleeping bag. Bit by bit, the tension in her shoulders faded. She let out a long, relieved sigh.

"Haaa~... This is so much better..." she murmured.

We lay like that, pressed back to back, facing opposite directions. Our spines barely touched, but the heat passed between us all the same. It wasn't nearly as awkward as I had feared. Strangely... it was kind of comforting.

"Still... it's kind of uncomfortable sleeping like this, don't you think?" I muttered, shifting slightly in place. The narrow space we were crammed into barely allowed me to move. "I don't even have enough room to stretch. And I'm pretty sure you're feeling the same, right?"

"Y-Yes... it's kind of a tight fit here," she admitted. "It's squeezing me so much it's... a little hard to breathe."

We were pressed together, shoulder to hip, and the cold didn't help either. In truth, there was only one possible way we could manage to sleep without twisting our bodies into impossible shapes. And that was...

To hug her. From behind.

"This is... just..." she started, hesitating. I could feel her tense slightly. "This is only because there's no other option, alright? Normally, I wouldn't allow something like this. But given the situation... we don't really have a choice."

I didn't say anything. I just turned to my side, slowly and carefully, and wrapped my arm around her waist. My chest gently pressed against her back, and the closeness was instant.

In this position... things got awkward.

"You're not... gonna try anything weird, right?" she asked suddenly.

"I'm not," I said. "Just sleep."

"...Okay."

Her body relaxed just a little. But I couldn't relax at all.

I tried to sleep.

I really did.

But now that I was holding her like this—feeling her warmth through the thin layers of our clothes—I became aware of everything. Intensely aware.

Even though she could be so stupid sometimes, she was still—without question—a goddess.

Her body was impossibly soft.

I wasn't hugging her with any sort of intention... but that didn't stop me from noticing.

It made it impossible not to notice.

And her scent...

Even through the faint traces of sweat, there was something pleasant. Something that made me want to breathe her in more deeply.

My heart started pounding harder.

Hard enough that I was convinced she'd be able to hear it, if she listened closely.

I had never—never—been in a moment like this before.

Not even with Alice, who I had grown up with.

Not once had I ever felt this level of closeness with another girl.

My breathing grew heavier.

Even though the room was cold, a line of sweat started trailing down the side of my face.

And then... something started to stir.

Low in my groin, a heat curled up and began to spread, rising slowly and uncontrollably.

It was building—coiling—faster than I could suppress it.

I clenched my jaw and tried to will it away, to sleep through it, but it wouldn't go.

Then I realized... she wasn't asleep.

The tips of her ears had turned red.

"Hey..." she said, barely glancing back. Her voice was stiff. "S-Something is... poking me back there..."

I froze.

"I'm sorry," I said. "But you really can't blame me for that, right? It's a natural reaction for guys."

She shifted slightly. "You could've at least tried to be discreet. It doesn't have to be poking right at my butt."

"With how cramped we are in here," I said, "I don't exactly have the privilege to reposition anything."

There was a brief silence between us.

"H-Hey, don't move like that," I said quickly.

She was shifting her hips, and her butt ended up rubbing directly against my groin.

Which, in turn, only made things worse.

Literally.

"I-I'm not doing it because I want to...!" she shot back defensively, her voice pitched high with flustered embarrassment. "It's just that... having something like that poking into me like this... it makes me feel a little..."

She trailed off.

"...What?"

"Nothing," she muttered quickly.

I had no idea where this conversation was going. It felt like we were sliding into a place we had no idea how to navigate.

"...Let's just try to sleep," I said finally. "It'll go away on its own after a while."

We both went quiet and tried to let it pass, but...

"...It's not going away," she whispered.

"You can't expect it to disappear in just a few seconds," I said.

Then silence again.

Longer this time.

The kind that makes your thoughts echo louder than your heartbeat.

And then...

"Hey..." she said softly.

There was something fragile in her voice.

"I-Is it... my fault? That it's like that?"

I hesitated. My throat tightened.

"...Not really," I said.

"But it's because of me... that it's hard, right?" she asked again, more hesitant this time. As if she already knew the answer.

I couldn't bring myself to respond.

Because... yeah.

It was because of her.

"...I can hear what you're thinking," she said quietly. "So I know."

"..."

She took a breath.

"W-Would you want... to do it?"