The Bathroom Verification
Late that evening, the streets of Ludel lay shrouded in deep darkness. The mana stones in the streetlamps flickered, casting pale light over the nearly deserted paths. Amid the silence of every shop closed for the night, only the lobby of the Moonlight Shelter glowed softly, as if waiting for someone.
Ding-a-ling.
With a cheerful chime, the inn door swung open. But the man who stepped inside moved with anything but cheer.
“Haa… haa…”
Hans clung to the doorframe, barely holding himself upright. He looked utterly wrecked. His clothes were caked in sweat and dirt from hauling logs up and down the mountain, and tangled leaves and spiderwebs clung to his disheveled hair. His legs trembled like those of a newborn calf, threatening to kiss the floor at any moment.
The lobby was quiet. The cook, Ben, had already gone home, and Masa, who had been tidying up after closing, lifted her head at the sound of movement.
“Welcome ba— Oh my goodness!”
Masa tossed aside the dishcloth in her hand and rushed over in a single stride.
“Hans! What on earth happened to you? Did you roll around the mountain wrestling a wild boar?”
She supported his arm, eyes wide with shock. As she drew closer, the pungent smell of sweat and earth hit her. Masa wrinkled her nose and clicked her tongue, but her gaze overflowed with pity and concern.
“You said you were training… but that man turned you into a half-cripple.”
“Haa… I feel like I barely survived, Miss Masa…”
Hans had no strength left to argue and simply leaned his weight against her shoulder. The warm, soft press of her breasts. The faint scent of roses. After returning from that hellish training ground, Hans felt tears welling up.
Yeah… there’s only Miss Masa. This really is heaven.
Masa naturally slipped the heavy pack from his back and took it.
“You’ve worked hard. Have you eaten? No, you should wash first. You smell awful.”
She wrapped an arm around his waist and guided him toward the bathroom.
“I already drew warm water. You don’t look like you can wash yourself… so I’ll do it for you. Come on.”
Refusal? That was a luxury. Hans let her lead him like a zombie into the bathroom.
…
The bathroom was thick with steam. The pleasant warmth seemed to melt his frozen muscles. Masa stood him in front of the tub and began stripping off his clothes one by one, treating him like a kindergartener.
“Arms up.”
“Yes…”
Hans obediently raised his arms. The sweat-soaked, heavy shirt came off, and his dirt-caked pants dropped to the floor with a dull thud. His firm, muscular body was revealed, marred here and there by scratches and bruises.
“Oh dear, this is heartbreaking. Look at the state of you.”
Masa stroked his chest with a pained expression. Then, just as she reached to pull down his underwear—
Tap.
Her hand froze in midair.
“……?”
Her gaze locked onto one spot. On the front of Hans’s gray cotton briefs, exactly where the urethral opening would press, was a dried, translucent stain. It was the trace of the precum that had leaked out when Serena had pressed her palm against him in the forest.
Masa’s eyes narrowed. She leaned down, burying her nose near his groin.
Sniff. Sniff.
Beneath the heavy scent of sweat, she caught the clever mix of a musky, sweet night-bloom fragrance. And faintly intertwined with it—an unfamiliar grassy scent and the unmistakable aroma of a female.
Masa lifted her head. A gentle smile still curved her lips, but her eyes were not smiling at all. A chilling killing intent seemed to freeze the steam in the air.
“Hans?”
She hooked her thumb under the waistband of his briefs and pulled it forward slightly. Tilting her head, she examined the inside of the fabric where his manhood had rested. Her eyes flashed.
“Hmm…”
Masa yanked the underwear down in one swift motion. Then she stretched the front of the removed briefs taut with both hands and held it up right in front of Hans’s face—like a detective presenting evidence from a crime scene.
“What is this? You said you were only exercising… so why is this part wet?”
Her voice was low. But the pressure it carried was heavier than the logs he had trained with.
A cold sweat ran down Hans’s spine.
I’m fucked.
The incident in the forest. The elf flirting, pulling down his pants, nearly making him cum. If he told the truth, it would be the perfect misunderstanding that he had been “rolling around in the forest with an elf.”
“Ah, that’s… I was so exhausted… it must be sweat! It’s true!”
His excuse was pathetic, and his voice trembled.
Masa snorted.
“Hmph. Sweat and this smell completely different. Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
Her eyes gleamed like a detective’s.
“Who did you meet in the forest? Which little bitch was wagging her tail at you? Tell me honestly. Before I tear you apart.”
While Hans flailed his hands and babbled nonsense, Masa’s gaze naturally drifted downward. There, between his legs, was evidence that could either dispel her suspicion in one blow—or confirm it in an entirely different way.
Throb!
Hans’s cock was furiously angry. It had been painfully aroused by Serena in the forest, left unsatisfied after Kane’s sudden interruption, and suppressed ever since. On top of that, the humid bathroom air, Masa’s touch, and the nervous tension of possibly being caught had swollen it to the verge of exploding.
Thick blue veins bulged along its length as the massive shaft twitched violently, nearly reaching his navel. The moment she saw that ferocious reaction, Masa’s stiff expression slowly melted.
“Hmm…”
A strange smile mixed with relief and satisfaction spread across her face.
If he had pulled it out after rolling around with another woman in the forest, it wouldn’t be this furiously erect. This was the reaction of a starving man.
“Well… if you had gotten off outside, it wouldn’t be throbbing like this. Good boy, my hubby.”
She tossed the underwear aside with a flick and gently wrapped her hand around the raging pillar.
“It’s really upset, isn’t it? Hehe.”
Masa knelt on the wet floor. She cradled his shaft reverently with both hands and looked up at him with seductive eyes.
“Before I wash you… let me calm it down for you.”
“M-Miss Masa…?”
“Stay still.”
Masa opened her mouth and took his flushed, reddened glans into her mouth in one smooth motion.
Slurp.
“Ugh…!”
The hot, wet interior of her mouth enveloped his sensitive tip. Masa sharpened the tip of her tongue and relentlessly probed his urethra.
“Chup, chuurup, lick!”
Her tongue work was relentless. She licked up the shaft, massaged his balls with her hands, and covered his lower body with her saliva.
“Haa… Miss Masa… it’s too… it feels too good…”
Hans gently stroked her damp hair as he moaned. Even while suspecting and feeling jealous, she ultimately accepted him like this and relieved him. Her obsessive affection. Fear, gratitude, and pleasure all mixed together, racing down his spine.
Once again, Hans felt it to his bones.
Yeah… there’s only this woman. The only one who accepts me like this.
The bathroom filled with wet, squelching sounds and heavy breathing.
The next morning, early.
In the front yard of Kane’s cabin, Hans had shown up for work at dawn despite having his vitality drained by Masa all night.
“You’re here?”
Kane was swinging a wooden sword in the yard.
“Yes, Master. More logs today?”
When Hans asked with grim determination, Kane stopped swinging and stared at him.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Starting today, you’re staying and eating here.”
Hans blinked.
“Here?”
“That’s right. When do you expect to get stronger by commuting? The time spent going back and forth is a waste. Don’t even think about going home for a while. Just roll around here.”
Kane snorted.
“You need to clear the impurities from your mind first. Yesterday I saw you completely distracted by some forest temptress. If you eat and sleep here while training, you won’t have time for stupid thoughts.”
Intensive training camp.
Hans thought for a moment. The soft bed at the inn and Masa’s home-cooked meals flickered before his eyes. Serena’s suggestion from yesterday in the forest—“one-month crash course”—also crossed his mind.
If I do it until she gets pregnant, ten years’ worth in one month…
It was a sweet temptation. Honestly, that path seemed far more comfortable and enjoyable.
But Hans shook his head. The wooden sword demonstration Kane had shown yesterday. That overwhelming power that could slice through space itself. He could never defeat Cecilia by luck alone. To make her look up to him, he needed real strength.
Hans’s eyes flashed with determination.
“Understood. I’ll go pack my things, Master.”
Hans returned to the village. The walk to pack his luggage felt like his feet were made of lead. If he just disappeared, it was obvious Masa or Eila would file a missing person report.
I need… to get permission.
He headed to the inn first.
“Miss Masa.”
Hans stood before her with a solemn expression.
“I… will come back after becoming stronger. For the time being, I’ll be staying at Master’s place for intensive training.”
Masa’s eyes widened.
“Intensive training? Why leave home?”
“I need to focus. And… I’m absolutely not going to cheat! It’ll just be two men living together in a cabin in the woods!”
Hans emphasized desperately. Two men. That keyword was crucial.
Masa stared into his eyes for a moment, then sighed and nodded.
“Fine. If a man says he’s going to do something big, I shouldn’t stop him.”
She went into the kitchen and returned carrying a heavily packed bundle. Jerky, dried fruits, bread, and even cookies she had baked herself.
“Don’t skip meals, hubby. And… if you get hurt, come straight back down. Understood?”
Masa’s eyes grew moist. Hans felt a surge of emotion and pulled her into a hug.
“I’ll be back soon. Please wait for me.”
First checkpoint cleared.
Next was the Adventurer’s Guild. Hans ran to the guild and stood in front of Eila’s reception desk.
“Miss Eila.”
“Oh? What is it? It’s still way too early for lunch. Hehe.”
“Um… I probably won’t be able to come for a while.”
“What?”
Eila’s pen stopped moving.
“I’ve decided to do intensive training at my master’s house. In the cabin in the woods. I’ll come back even stronger.”
She twirled her pen and replied curtly.
“Hmph. Who asked? Do whatever you want.”
A cold response. Hans scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Ah… I see. Then I’ll be go—”
As he turned to leave, Eila jumped up from her seat and reached over the counter, grabbing his sleeve.
Grab.
Her face was flushed red. She pulled out a coin pouch from her pocket and pressed it into his hand. It was quite heavy.
“Take this.”
“Huh? Why money…”
“How are you going to eat if you’re stuck on a mountain? Don’t skip meals… buy yourself something tasty.”
She turned her head away sharply and muttered.
“And… thank you for not disappearing without a word… and for coming to tell me.”
Eila grabbed his collar and yanked him close to her face. Her eyes turned fierce.
“If you dare run away and abandon me… I’ll chase you to the ends of the empire and break both your legs, so be prepared. Got it?”
Hans swallowed hard and nodded.
“I-I’ll keep that in mind!”