The sky had already begun to darken as I led Aefina back to Aegros City.

Since Aefina had been a little upset at lunchtime because I’d ignored her, I’d taken her to that same forest earlier to roast a jetboar just for her. As one of the most common sources of pork in this world, jetboars were widely found across many regions.

My apology seemed to have worked well—Aefina’s expression clearly showed she wasn’t upset anymore.

*Sigh.* I couldn’t help but lament again: without proper tools, I was helpless. Beyond roasting meat, there was nothing else I could do. To cook properly, I really needed a kitchen. But considering Aefina wanted to head toward the capital, a kitchen was just a pipe dream. In the end, I could only pack a few basic cooking tools to make something other than roasted meat.

Though Aefina seemed perfectly content with just roasted meat, it was nice to have some variety. Personally, I wasn’t too fond of it anyway.

Nights in this other world were incredibly dull due to the lack of lighting and other reasons. Back when I worked at an inn in Modria, I’d mostly just sit and listen to travelers chat in the evenings before heading to bed early. Of course, taverns always had their share of adult "nighttime activities," but…

I wanted to kill time—with Aefina! Visiting a brothel? With Aefina?! Damn, I wanted to live a few more years.

But some thoughts, once they surfaced, couldn’t be ignored as if they’d never existed.

Now my head was filled with images of Aefina’s slender frame, her porcelain skin. Though certain areas were a bit lacking, I didn’t mind…

*Slap!* I smacked my own face hard. Aefina flinched slightly at my sudden movement, shrinking back beside me.

"Luo Sa, what’s wrong?" The girl’s eyes held a trace of worry as she looked at me. Then she circled me twice, her faintly glowing emerald eyes tracing streaks of light that looked stunning in the dimming path.

"You don’t seem possessed…" Aefina murmured, puzzled. So she’d suspected I was taken over by some strange entity!

"I’m fine…" I felt I could barely face Aefina anymore. Being such a virgin was really embarrassing.

In the end, I dragged a flustered Aefina to the entrance of a rather upscale-looking inn. Just for sleeping! Sleeping only!

"Hello, could we have two single rooms, please?" Politeness usually paid off. I wasn’t the type who needed to show off every second of the day.

"I’m sorry," said the middle-aged innkeeper, looking troubled. "With so many solo travelers coming in lately for the Prayer Festival, our single rooms are tight. Would you mind sharing a double room instead? As compensation, I’ll give you a 20% discount on your stay."

"…" Of course this would happen. I felt like I’d swallowed dragon’s scales. Judging by the innkeeper’s expression, other inns were probably the same. This city’s foot traffic was clearly much heavier than Modria’s—all because of this Prayer Festival. Its influence was impressive; I was starting to get curious about it.

But curiosity about the festival was one thing. Right now, I had to make a choice:

1. Accept the innkeeper’s offer and share a room with Aefina. *Pros:* Easiest option. *Cons:* I’d have to constantly suppress my primal urges.

2. Beg the innkeeper until he gave us two singles. *Pros:* No sharing a room with Aefina. *Cons:* Might be seen as impotent, lowering Aefina’s opinion of me… Wait, was that even a pro?

3. Walk out and waste hours searching for an inn with two singles available. *Pros:* …Yeah, right.

No matter how I looked at it, option one was the only choice.

"…We’ll take one double room," Aefina spoke up beside me. Since she’d said it, I couldn’t refuse. So what was the point of my three-second internal struggle?!

"Thank you for understanding. The double room costs five copper coins per day, with a five-copper deposit. After the discount, that’s nine coppers total. The deposit will be fully refunded upon checkout." With that, I handed over a silver coin and accepted the single copper coin in change with a silent sigh.

I found our room using the number on the key the innkeeper gave me. Honestly, it looked quite comfortable inside.

A long bench sat near the door, likely for luggage. Two modest beds were placed against the wall, neatly made with clean bedding. A square table stood nearby, probably for writing.

Between the beds and beside the table, magic crystal lamps were mounted on the walls. These weren’t expensive, provided strong light, and were incredibly easy to use—deeply loved by the people of this world. The pirate hideout hadn’t used them simply because installation was a bit tricky, and none of those pirates knew how to set them up.

In one corner sat what looked like… a vanity? A small wooden table stood there, a mirror fixed to the wall above it, and a wooden comb resting on its surface. No cosmetics, but it had to be a vanity, right?

Plus a private bathroom. Only then did I realize the room’s layout resembled hotel rooms back in my original world—minus the TV and computer, of course. This world didn’t have those anyway. I hadn’t noticed before since I was used to it, but now it felt uncannily familiar. Could this be the work of another transmigrator?

"Aefina, you shower first. I’ll go after you," I said to the girl standing frozen in the room. She nodded and headed toward the bathroom.

*Come to think of it, how does Aefina usually pass the time?* I sat on the bed, suddenly wondering.

Before transmigrating, I hadn’t given it much thought. But here in this world without computers, my life felt strangely empty… I’d grown up without phones or computers as a kid. What did I do back then? Playing with other children? Nah, better not go there.

Unfortunately, I’d brought nothing with me when I crossed over. My last memory from Earth was being crushed by that truck. When I regained consciousness, I was already on the streets of Modria.

I was certain this body was the same one I’d had on Earth—I’d transmigrated entirely, not just my soul possessing someone else. So there shouldn’t be any enemies from this body’s past haunting me.

But my clothes had changed into something fitting this world’s general style. Though different from what passersby wore, they still belonged to this era. If I’d been wearing a shirt and tie, I’d definitely stand out as weird.

I had a vague feeling something must have happened between the truck accident and arriving in Modria, but I couldn’t recall even a hint of it.

"Done." Aefina’s voice cut through my thoughts. She stood less than thirty centimeters away, close enough for me to catch her scent. This wasn’t soap or shampoo—this world had no shower gel. It was pure, natural girl fragrance!

The bathroom held a large wooden basin engraved with two magic arrays. One gathered water elementals—essentially a faucet. The other regulated temperature; you just turned it off when the water felt right. Simple to use.

As I washed, I marveled at how deeply magic had been integrated into daily life here. If even a five-copper-a-night inn room had this, the cost must be low. Technology only became affordable and widespread after maturing—just like computers back home. This quietly revealed how advanced magic truly was in this world.

"…" Was meeting Aefina really a good thing? I suddenly found myself pondering this.

Thinking she was good for me was just my own selfish view. Aefina was a stunningly beautiful girl, and her true form was the Great Dragon—a symbol of immense power. When she chose not to harm me and instead let me travel with her, I naturally felt lucky. With her, I’d never worry about food or survival. But what if I lost her?

When I first transmigrated to Modria, I thought I could live out my days peacefully there—until pirates kidnapped me. Then in Westvira, I thought I could settle down—until Aefina wiped out the pirate crew. Now I was with her, but would my luck hold next time?

In this magically advanced yet unstable world, my fate wasn’t in my own hands. Without combat skills, if Lady Luck ever turned her back on me, I might die—or face something worse than death.

Even someone who could face death squarely felt a deep, bone-chilling fear at this thought.

I knew I had nothing to guarantee Aefina would stay by my side. Food? That wouldn’t stop her from leaving if she wanted to.

"…" I glanced toward the bathroom door—toward Aefina. What if tonight, I…? If I could become intimate with her, maybe she’d stay. Become my partner…?

The thought spread like wildfire through my mind. I did like her… If it worked, it meant she didn’t reject me. It’d be good for both of us. Right…?

I sank deeper into this obsession, unaware that my face looked unnaturally flushed after leaving the bathroom.

"Luo Sa?" Aefina noticed, calling my name with a hint of confusion.

"Nothing. I’m just tired. Let’s sleep." My voice came out hoarse. Staring at Aefina, I swallowed hard.

Though puzzled, she nodded and climbed onto one of the beds. She wasn’t on guard at all—my chances were even higher. As I thought this, I turned off the magic crystal lamp. Now I just had to wait for her to fall asleep.

Lying in bed, I stared fixedly at Aefina on the opposite bed. Her slender figure seemed to radiate an indescribable allure. My throat went dry.

"Aefina?" It must have been deep into the night—or at least it felt that way. She’d been still for so long I whispered her name softly. No response.

Just as I was about to get up and make my move, she suddenly sat up. Her beautiful emerald eyes locked onto mine. To me in that moment, those lovely eyes looked terrifying.

Before I could say anything, she got out of bed and walked over to mine.

Convinced my plan was exposed, I braced myself—only to be stunned speechless by what she did next.

She lifted my blanket, slipped into my arms, then turned her back against my chest.

"I’ve felt something was off with you since evening. And you kept staring. If you wanted to 【sleep together】, just say so. This solves it, right?" Her voice drifted to me.

The phrase "sleep together" implied intimacy, though slightly more euphemistic—something courtesans might say. Clearly, Aefina didn’t fully grasp what it meant; she must have overheard it somewhere.

"You seemed strange tonight. I was a little worried. If you want to sleep together, it’s fine," she added. So… she’d been watching over me? She’d been worried about me…?

Shame flooded me to the core. Here she was, concerned for me, while I’d been thinking such filthy thoughts.

Something inside me shattered abruptly under Aefina’s touch, and I couldn’t help but pull her tightly into my arms.

"S-sorry… I…" I burst into tears suddenly, droplets pattering onto the pillow. Such a strange feeling—it’d been ages since I last cried.

Aefina gently pried my arms apart a little, turned around, and hugged me back. We ended up tangled together on the bed.

The confusion and fear from my transmigration seemed to silently melt away.

‘If I could always stay by her side, there’d be nothing to worry about.’ This thought, like a vibrant seed, quietly took root in my heart with Aefina’s embrace, slowly sprouting.

"It’s okay…" Aefina comforted me softly.

Sensing the sorrow in my voice, her tone turned incredibly tender. I drifted off to sleep under her soothing words.

The next morning, I couldn’t resist planting a deep kiss on Aefina. Under the girl’s puzzled gaze, I got up and started catching up on yesterday’s unwritten diary entry.

At the end of my diary for Wind Season No. 54, I wrote: "[That night in the double room at the inn, I 'slept' with Aefina.]"