Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

"... Why am I in this position?" Verina sheepishly uttered.

"You don't want to?" I whispered.

"I don't dislike it…!"

After the festive celebration, I gave my bastioneers an extra two hours of free time, a moment to indulge or satiate whatever they desire.

Of course, I already planned something after those two hours vanished.

"You two are really enjoying this, huh," Kuzunoha said with an irritated smile.

After doing some deforestation and proper construction, now that my hands were back to being miraculous as they were reliable—we held a meeting session to hear the report of Kuzunoha's visit to the soul realm where Black Daffodil resided.

Though, because of my mood and eagerness to reward Verina for her performance and loyalty, I put her to sit on my lap as I purred and rested my chin on her shoulder, doing a little bit of cuddling for the lack of skinship that we did for the past days.

Time to time, I glinted a mischievous smug toward Kuzunoha. She had no idea why I did this, and it was a payback for freely putting my personal information on the table for everyone to learn from the past reporting session.

"As you can see, my good friend and my honey dear~" There was still a tone of annoyance in her voice, but it was anything but hostile. "These are the reports for my today's interaction with Daffodil."

"Black Daffodil," I insisted.

"Black Daffodil, ehem," Kuzunoha corrected. "I separate my reports into things that I directly perceive and experience, from things that I hypothesized and assumed into an unconfirmed conclusion."

For one, there was a difference in appearance between the last Black Daffodil and the current one, but Kuzunoha confidently confirmed that they were still the same entity.

Unlike the black-haired void-faced lady in a business get up, the current form of Black Daffodil was something even more unexpected.

To quote Kuzunoha's report: A towering goddess-like figure stood, her form a living cosmos, with skin that shimmered like stardust and constellations woven across her flesh—her presence was celestial and awe-inspiring, a universe bound in graceful human shape.

Draped in minimal, flowing fabric reminiscent of ancient Greek attire, her ethereal garment clung like mist, revealing yet respecting the majesty of her form.

Each movement caused galaxies to swirl upon her skin, a dance of stars lighting up the void. Eyes aglow, she exudes both serenity and power—a divine embodiment of the universe itself.

"This encounter is certainly much more nerve-wracking than the last," Kuzunoha playfully sneered. "There isn't many differences in term of personality, but I found myself slightly cowering from the overwhelming presence."

"Well, the fact that your mind is still intact is a miracle," Verina said with not an ounce of emotion on her face, per usual. "You can't lie because of the contract, and based on the things you reported—I can't see myself staying sane from stepping a single step into that maddening soul realm."

Sometimes, I wondered how the hell that I got such a dangerous thing inside.

There was also a complete recap log on the content of the conversation itself.

Amongst some of the information that I didn't mind sharing—preferably to show these two that they were close enough to uncover these secretive and personal sides of me, I also noticed that Black Daffodil felt quite hostile and passive-aggressive in her sentences.

She was still cooperative nonetheless, but I could see why it became much more nerve-wracking than the last.

"I also found out the reason behind your phobia of clay," Kuzunoha chuckled. "Never would have thought that such a Calamity Object could exude that much influence over reality."

"Hence why, pottery has been banned in our bastion ever since," I said with a gentle smile.

Aside from those, there wasn't anything noteworthy to mention and explain. Kuzunoha also didn't get many chances to ask questions about me since Black Daffodil had been a little bit finicky in their last encounter.

After we finished our meeting about Black Daffodil, I suggested to Verina to rest further in the room I built for her. It was complete with the proper amenities of a cozy cabin to live in, and comfort-inducing bed that was crafted from the available material and fabric.

Even though she didn't need it to stay alive and maintain a healthy body, she would still benefit from the comfort and mood that would bloom from a proper rest.

I pampered her beforehand for this very reason, after all.

"Your task right now is to get your head prime and lazy." I couldn't help but smile at this hard-working kilnalan. "Don't think much about doing anything, so feel free to daydream about warmth and shiny things."

Verina's mouth opened slightly, and a rare flush of color crept across her otherwise placid face. Her eyes, wide with something between admiration and disbelief, flitted over me as if she were memorizing each detail. "Daydream about you, you mean, Narcissus?" she murmured, reaching out a hand, hesitant but undeniably drawn.

Before I could respond, her fingers slipped over mine, gentle yet lingering. "I'll admire you endlessly then," she whispered, almost too soft to hear. "Divinely perfect, beautiful—more than I could ever have imagined."

Her grip tightened just slightly, her gaze locked onto mine, and for a moment, it was just the two of us, standing amidst a world quieted by her reverence.

I chuckled, charmed by her occasional boldness. "Verina, you'll spoil me if you keep going like that." I watched the way her expression flickered, a slight glimmer of amusement tinged with something deeper.

"Oh, believe me," she whispered, stepping closer and lowering her voice to a sultry tone, "I'll happily keep spoiling you. Day and night, if you'll let me." She lifted my hand to her lips, her gaze unwavering as she brushed a soft, almost reverent kiss against my knuckles.

"However, as I'm tasked to be in the state of daydreaming bliss for the time being, I'll ensure to achieve all of those promises with my mind version of you in my head."

At that very moment, an exasperated cough broke through the atmosphere. Kuzunoha leaned against the doorway, arms crossed below her heavy bosoms. Smiling, her gaze narrowed as she looked between us. "It looks like someone is really going all out the moment they are given a chance to make a move."

I smirked, arching a brow. "Why, Kuzunoha, feeling left out already?"

Kuzunoha stepped forward with a grin, her voice dripping with mock dismay. "Left out? Oh, hardly. I've been admiring you long before Verina here ever mustered the courage to do so. Tell me, my love, who was the one who appraised every inch of your worth and beauty?

"Tell me, was the one who committed every second of her time for the very progress that you sought? Such closeness and bond. I doubted there could be anything that can amount to the succinct beauty of our cooperation~"

This… was the first time I saw Kuzunoha becoming this agitated, ahaha.

Verina's eyes glinted with challenge, but her lips remained in their ever-so-slightly bemused line. "I'm not sure 'practically in rags' is quite accurate. If I remember correctly, Lady Narcissus handled herself perfectly fine without anyone's cloak."

"Oh?" Kuzunoha's voice lilted, taunting. "Maybe not the cloak, but I certainly provided much-needed warmth, didn't I?" She brushed a stray lock of hair back from her face, her gaze still holding that playful edge. "Besides, if she needed to warm her hands on mine, I'd welcome it without hesitation."

Verina held her ground, a flicker of intensity igniting in her eyes as she turned to me, voice sweet yet tinged with challenge. "That still doesn't diminish the fact that you only appeared in this bastion before me."

"The order of appearance doesn't decide the winner to someone's heart, my friend~"

"But it does signify the order of importance, assuming the bond created between gaps."

While they were having a competition with one another, I practiced my stealth and watched the chaos unfold with a bag of fruits in my hand.

I'm not in possession of popcorn yet, so I must utilize any kind of snack that I have in my hand.

Nevermind, their target changed from bashing each other to going back to teasing and flirting with me. My presence was not stealthy in the slightest all along.

With chin held high and easiness exhaled, they ended their sudden competition amicably like a pair of rivals who had known each other for years, increasing their favorability with one another instead of their favorability with me.

It was time to give Kuzunoha her fair share of reward.

As Verina slipped away to her well-deserved rest, Kuzunoha remained. Now in our private retreat, her sharp gaze glinting with an almost childlike anticipation. She could hardly contain her excitement, a rare sight that softened the usual sharpness of her features.

For once, she dropped the cutting remarks and cynical detachment, her entire focus unwavering, drawn in by the promise of something truly extraordinary. And she deserved it.

"Kuzunoha," I began, and she straightened instinctively, every trace of her habitual venom momentarily subdued. "I think it's time for you to enjoy the fruits of your loyalty, cooperation, and—" I let a mischievous smile creep over my lips, "—your endless teasing."

She chuckled softly, though the eagerness in her eyes betrayed her more than her calm exterior did. She reached into her arcane storage, retrieving a slender goblet, polished and prepared in advance. Holding it out, she awaited her prize with barely concealed excitement.