Hearing his compliance, Clara lets out a small satisfied hum before she takes a step back and pulls his hand out of her blouse.
"Then, best of luck for your day. Return safe, darling. Bye!"
The door suddenly closes on his face, making him flinch back out of surprise. He stares at his hand, then at the door, and finally shakes his head, "I got scammed after just touching her a little bit."
He takes a step toward the street, but stops suddenly as a thought occurs to him.
His gaze falls on his hand, and then he inspects the area to ensure that nobody is watching him. After confirming that he is alone, he turns his hand toward his face and takes a long inhale that expands his chest slightly.
The dense, salt-kissed warmth radiates from his palm, a scent that is intoxicating and uniquely hers. His head falls back, eyes rolling back for a moment, and then...
[NOTIFICATION!]
[The Host is losing himself.]
He snaps out of his dreams and blinks hard to stabilize his mind. His hand lowers down again and a profound sadness stirs within him as he glares at the door.
God! I just want to kiss her breasts right now! I don’t want to work!
But, he remembers her words. She might allow him into the house, but if she looked at him in anger or perhaps disappointment, it would be hard for him to bear that. So, he braces himself, forces his desire down for now and turns toward his way.
I will not lose myself just to take some small sniff! I will work hard and then take my reward from her, which is rightfully mine!
Her breasts are not rightfully his, but he will use this motivation to grind at his workplace.
***
As expected, despite the logic that he never walked down this path, his body takes him toward his destination instinctively. And, like he had planned, instead of resisting the useful instincts of this body, he uses them as a tool to help himself.
The workplace enters his view. However, it doesn’t have the familiar shape of the building from his world. Instead, it’s a strange, circular building—vast and imposing.
His heart races with a sudden surge of excitement and wonder as he takes in the sight of the circular structure. He steps inside through the open gates.
Inside, the interior of this place is divided by multiple curved paths, followed by the circular facility that sits along the outer edge of the wall and looks out over the entire complex.
Before he could step further to take in more of the sight of this building, a voice abruptly stops him in his tracks.
"Halt! Where are you going without showing your identity!?"
A man with a large build and armor marches toward him with a sword tucked at his waist. The moment the guard stops in front of Zane, a flicker of surprise flashes through his eyes.
Zane, meanwhile, has started sweating all over his face. He stares dumbfoundedly at the man’s waist, right at the sword.
WAHH! A knight! A fucking knight. I must run.
Just as he adjusts his stance to bolt out through the gates, the guard finally lets out a loud huff of laughter and lands his hand on Zane’s shoulder, making him almost kneel down.
"HAHA! So, it’s you, Jack! You were acting like a lost puppy, so I thought it was some stranger. Go inside, you don’t need to show your identity, since I know who you are already! A SCUM! HAHAHAHA...!"
Zane’s eyes twitch as he takes a step back quickly to escape his hand and glares at him. The audacity of this man was amazing. He almost made Zane think in the wrong direction.
This is not a knight! My mistake. This is a bastard! Knights have manners, and this man has lost his manners long ago, it seems!
Despite his anger, he doesn’t dare to speak ill of the guard right in front of him. The sight of a sword makes him polite automatically.
With a stiff nod and an obedient smile, he starts stepping away from the guard and begins his journey to his job again.
The man moves back to his post, and Zane walks into a more crowded area of this place. The path he has walked into is filled with many other people. He doesn’t wander too long at one spot and keeps walking.
Finally, he reaches a door which is positioned along this path. His feet stop by instinct and he takes a moment to simply organize what he has seen until now.
This place doesn’t give the feeling of a corporate company, it feels like I have walked into a warzone or something.
At last, he pushes the door open and steps inside.
The sight that stretches before him is surprising. It’s a large open ground, which lacks the hard floor and any kinds of complex machines.
At one side of the ground are multiple wooden racks, and over those racks are different kinds of swords and other kinds of hand-weapons.
In the center, several men with bare upper bodies and grim-looking expressions train themselves with the same types of weapons which he saw on the racks.
One of the men pauses abruptly in his training when Zane enters the ground. He nudges the other man beside him and murmurs, "He’s here."
The other man also stops swinging his sword and turns toward Zane. His gaze narrows as he nods and then yells.
"Jack, You are late again! Get over here quickly!"
Zane doesn’t move immediately, because the moment his voice reaches him, his shoulders seem to stiffen instinctively. And, the anxiety starts building within him. He understands these signals.
Okay... I might be in trouble now. It seems Jack had some kind of issue with them.
Though, contrary to his thoughts, his body moves forward, without his decision or his will. But, the emotion he feels inside him is not curiosity or wonder anymore.
It’s fear. A fear so deep that it makes his feet cold like ice.
[The conflict is arising within the host. The separation is increasing.]
Zane tries to assert his will again, like he had done when he was with Clara. But, the fear just pushes back harder. His hands tremble from his struggle, but he still doesn’t stop.
I cannot control it... what’s happening? How should I...
[The host’s emotions are conflicting with the instincts of Jack’s body.]
He comes to a halt in front of those two men. One of the men’s hands shoots forward and closes on his collar. The other man walks around him slowly and blocks his way from behind.
The man yanks him forward by his collar. He speaks, his words coming out low and filled with venom, "You delayed your promise by one more day. Should I make you remember the deal with my own sword?"
The other man also closes in from behind, his fist raises high in the direction of Zane’s back.
"The woman you promised should have already warmed our bed at this point. Are you having second thoughts about it now?"
The world stops suddenly for Zane. His body goes still as he hears those words, and a new emotion rises within him.
Woman... What are they talking about?
The man gripping his collar leans even more, a grin appearing on his face as he seems to relish the expression on his face, "Your wife... Tonight. Make sure to bring her. This is my last warning."
...
[The second major part of Jack’s life has started.]
The image of Clara flashes in his mind. His eyes go blank as he stares into the man’s eyes. The conflict disappears instantly, followed by his whisper, dark and... angry.
"...What did you just say?"