Demon King's Revival and Aisha's First Massage
"No way!"
Sera shot up from her seat, shouting at Princess Daimia's words about the Demon King's revival. The others kept their mouths shut, but they all shared Sera's shock.
Daimia remained seated, idly tracing the edge of her saucer with her fingertip before speaking softly. "Calm down, Miss Sera. Please hear me out first."
"...Y-yes, sorry."
Sera sat back down, embarrassed. After a brief silence, Daimia slowly began.
"Let me tell you what I've heard so far."
Daimia's story went like this.
The first report of the Demon King's revival came the previous evening. An imperial mage monitoring mana fluctuations near the Demon King's Castle had detected a massive surge—something on the level of the Demon King itself.
In truth, what the mage had observed wasn't the Demon King, but Minwoo's mana. The moment Minwoo transformed into a demon, the mana accumulated inside the glow stick connected to his body, and some of it leaked out.
But the Demon King had revived, so Minwoo's careless action ended up heightening the empire's vigilance even more.
"We don't have solid proof it's the Demon King yet. Still, better safe than sorry."
"If it really is the Demon King... what happens then?"
Ares's question drew a quiet response from Princess Daimia. "It's too early to be pessimistic. True, you heroes haven't fully grown yet, but..."
She continued. "The Demon King's revival happening so suddenly might mean it's incomplete too."
"Then...!"
The boys and girls brightened at her words.
"Of course, we can't let our guard down. Nothing's certain yet—we need more intel. His Majesty plans to send a small scouting party near the Demon King's Castle for now."
"...I see."
"No changes to what you all should do. Keep training diligently as before. Just prepare yourselves mentally."
"...Yes."
"Sorry, but I need to head out first. Stay and relax a bit longer."
Once Daimia left, silence fell over the garden. The warm atmosphere from moments ago felt like a lie.
"What... what do we do now?"
"It's okay, Sera. We've all trained hard. We can definitely beat the Demon King. Have some confidence."
Ares encouraged the anxious Sera. Mari and Luna chimed in too.
"Don't worry, Sera sis. My magic'll wipe out any Demon King army in one go."
"I'll protect Sera, no matter what."
Touched by their support, Sera replied gratefully. "Everyone... thank you. I'll make sure to back you all up from behind so no one gets hurt."
The fear from the early revival news faded quickly as the group bonded tighter, drawing strength from their camaraderie.
...
Meanwhile, oblivious to how his little flap had stirred a massive storm, Minwoo was busy testing his new body's specs(?).
"Massage...? What's that?"
Aisha asked with a pained expression, lying on the bed. Minwoo answered with a serious face.
"It's like a healing method from my world. Great for when your body's hot and dizzy, like you are now."
"I-is that so...? But I'm not really sick or anything..."
Aisha appreciated Minwoo's concern, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it was her heat cycle, not illness.
If Minwoo had been from this world, he'd know beastkin went into heat periodically—it was common knowledge. She could just say it now, grit her teeth through the embarrassment...
But saying it out loud was too mortifying. Her mouth wouldn't move. Of course, unlike her assumption, Minwoo already knew everything and was playing along.
Feigning ignorance, he pressed on. "My worry might be unfounded... but for my peace of mind, how about just once? It'll definitely make you feel a bit better."
"R-really? If you put it that way... sure, I'll try it."
Unable to resist his persistence, Aisha gave in.
"So... how does this massage thing work?"
"You don't have to do anything. Just lie comfortably, Aisha. Oh, face down first, please?"
"Uh, o-okay..."
Still under the covers, Aisha rolled onto her stomach.
"I'll pull the blanket down a bit."
"..."
Minwoo gently tugged the blanket from her shoulders, exposing about half her back. The ticklish sensation made Aisha twitch slightly.
"Starting with your shoulders. Relax your body and let go of the tension."
"Okay..."
What was he planning? Unfamiliar with massages, Aisha felt uneasy not seeing him from her prone position, but she didn't want to disrupt him, so she stayed still.
But the instant his hands touched her shoulders, she jolted upright, ears perking in surprise.
"Nyaa!? M-Minwoo? What are you doing!?"
"What? I said massage."
"You mean... touching my body directly!?"
"Yeah? Is there a problem?"
"N-no... not really, but..."
She'd imagined some healing spell from afar. Never dreamed he'd touch her himself.
"Can I keep going, then?"
"Ugh... y-yeah, fine."
She'd already agreed—no backing out now. Aisha wanted to look cool in front of Minwoo. Her heat-exposed state was already a fail, but she figured he hadn't noticed, so she'd play it calm from here.
"Might hurt a little—bear with it."
"Got it... I'm used to pain, don't worry."
The warning sparked more excitement than fear—a chance to impress him. Whatever this massage was, enduring it stoically would score points, she thought.
Minwoo began kneading her shoulders slowly. Beastkin muscles were softer than humans', rarely knotting without massage, but the refreshing sensation was the same.
No special sensory suggestions yet, so Aisha just sank into the pleasant relaxation.
"Haa... not painful at all... feels refreshing instead..."
"Good to hear. Humans sometimes find it sore at first. Anyway, just relax."
"Yeah... thanks, Minwoo."
For about ten minutes, he worked her shoulders and back. Even in heat, those areas weren't overly sensitive. Like AV stars starting innocently, Minwoo followed the script.
"Shoulders and back seem good now. Onto the lower part."
"Huh...? Lower?"
Before she could process, Minwoo lifted the blanket lower, exposing her legs—just barely to her thighs.
Her tail poked out relaxedly, betraying her eased mood. No nudity, so no real shame, but her outfit's thigh-baring design plus the exposure to him made her cheeks heat up unexpectedly.
"Don't tense up... legs need to stay loose."
"S-sorry..."
"No need to apologize. Here we go."
His hands soon caressed her shapely calves softly. More sensitive than shoulders, but not erogenous. Familiar now, Aisha relaxed fully, enjoying it.
As the massage dragged on, drowsiness creeping in...
A small moan escaped when his hand "accidentally" slid up her inner thigh.