5. Bellatrix, Princess of the Fallen Kingdom

I came to my senses—and the first thing I felt was an excruciating muscle ache in my right arm, throbbing so fiercely it felt like it might shatter. 'Ah, this must be the pain from Cheong-ah swinging her sword!' The agony made it crystal clear. From there, the soreness spread throughout my entire body: my sides, arms, legs, even the depths of my organs. There wasn't a single spot that didn't hurt.

But one thing puzzled me: why was my lower back aching too? Especially the erector spinae muscles. It felt like I'd spent all day standing ramrod straight. My legs made sense—they'd been constantly moving, running, fighting. But did swordplay really tax those back muscles that much...?

Gritting my teeth through the pain, I endured. This was the price of using my ability. It strengthened my target's body, blocked attacks, and healed wounds—but in exchange, I bore the target's physical strain, absorbed the shock of blows, and took on the pain of healed injuries. The last one was by far the worst...

The silver lining was that it didn't transfer the actual wounds to my body. Instead, it healed them on the target and instantly dumped only the pain onto me. Thanks to that, Cheong-ah's broken bones and ruptured organs had fully mended. I'd shouldered all the suffering she would've endured in one brutal hit.

It hurt like hell. People said burns were the worst pain a human could feel, but who knew? All I knew was the sensation of something relentlessly churning my insides... the agony of bones being forcibly crushed... the stinging pricks assaulting every tiny scrape in my body. And when it all crashed into my brain at once, without even the mercy of passing out... that made it maddening, unbearable. And on top of that, the jolting shocks that rattled my body mid-torment. Ugh, seriously... How am I even alive?

My teeth ached, my lips ached, my eyes ached—everything hurt. ...At least my dick and balls were fine. If they'd hurt too, I'd have been pretty damn depressed.

Still, a flicker of pride warmed my chest. I'd held out until Cheong-ah finished off the princess of the fallen kingdom and confirmed her victory before blacking out. Seeing that win had filled me with joy. Fainting had ended the onslaught of pain and the shaking shocks from the fight. Now, only one thing remained: the toll from Cheong-ah's enhanced physical prowess. The muscle soreness that hit me the moment I woke.

"Nngh... ughhh."

The pain was so intense I couldn't even groan properly. As I writhed and groaned for what felt like ages, a cool hand gently pressed against my forehead. Then came a familiar woman's voice.

"Darling, you're awake?"

"Ugh... y-yeah."

Swallowing the muscle ache, I barely managed a reply and pried open my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stiff eyes. My vision was blurry at first—probably from just waking up. It soon sharpened, revealing something soft partially blocking my view... and below it, half of Cheong-ah's lovely face. Her eyes closed serenely as she gazed down—it had an air of quiet elegance. That's when I realized Cheong-ah was giving me a lap pillow. No wonder the back of my head felt so soft and springy, with that nice scent.

Wait, was this the legendary rack blocking the sky? Even mostly wrapped in that enchanted bandage, it was this big? Before leaving Leventen, I'd suckled those massive tits daily, so I knew them well. Unwrapped, my vision would've ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been pure darkness.

Swallowing the throbbing pain, I asked Cheong-ah, "Oof, I'm dying here. Cheong-ah, how long was I out?"

"Not long."

"How not long?"

"Hmm... a day?"

"...What."

I bolted upright—or tried to. It was more like a sluggish inchworm crawl. The sun was still brightly shining; it was daytime.

"N-not like 10 or 30 minutes—a full day?"

"Yes... um, pretty much?"

I quickly scanned our surroundings. No way to check the time precisely, but Cheong-ah had no reason to lie. ...Wait a sec. I turned back to Cheong-ah.

A whole day passed? That meant...

"Cheong-ah, your eyes..."

No wonder my right-eye vision felt sharper than usual. At my question, Cheong-ah covered her mouth with one hand and smiled gracefully.

"Hehe, it's fine. We just need magic stones, right?"

"...Mm."

The girl who'd once rejoiced at regaining her sight was now so casual about losing it again... Cheong-ah had hated going blind again. That's why, without fail, every single day—no matter the situation—she'd diligently taken my semen. Even on this trip, whenever conditions allowed, she'd approach first for her daily dose, regardless of place or time. Her obsession with sight ran deep.

"Why didn't you do it while I was out?"

"No, I couldn't."

"Why not?"

Was she worried about Aria or Sierra noticing? Nah, unlikely. I shook my head inwardly. During the journey, when I mentioned the risk of Aria or Sierra catching us, Cheong-ah had shrugged it off like, So what? How else are babies made? Even though she used her mana for contraception every time, with no intention of getting pregnant.

"I couldn't add to your suffering when you were already in pain."

"R-really?"

She'd done it for my sake. A flush of embarrassment heated my cheeks. Come to think of it, there were things to nitpick. Those hellish three months training under Cheong-ah—especially the first month. She'd wring semen from me daily, no matter how wrecked I was... Humans were fickle; I couldn't recall those times now. All that mattered was Cheong-ah sacrificing something precious for me.

"Ahem..."

I cleared my throat and scratched my cheek. ...Let's see. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I glanced at the ability window in the corner of my vision. Normally hidden as a tiny, barely visible dot to avoid obstructing my sight, it sharpened into focus the moment I concentrated.

...Huh. It felt oddly familiar, like a game status screen I'd seen before. Could I even click it? Half-joking, I raised my hand and swiped at the air.

Cheong-ah reacted to the motion. "Darling? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's fine."

Disappointingly, nothing happened. But the sense exchange penalty being gone? That meant no more magic stones needed to restore Cheong-ah's sight.

...How had I used it again? The moment I willed the ability active, my left hand felt sticky. Slimy, gooey... like kneading a lump of tar. Ah, right. I got it.

I slowly raised my hand to my face. It instantly coated me like a mask. The burning pain of awakening hit—hot, agonizing. Gripping it with my left hand, I tore it off. Easier than the first time, thankfully. Peeling it away ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠left a faint foreign texture on my tongue.

I softly called Cheong-ah's name. "Cheong-ah."

"Yes?"

Using my aching right arm's replacement—my left—I wrapped it around Cheong-ah's waist. Cheong-ah startled at the sudden move.

"D-Darling?"

Smack. Our lips met. I pushed my tongue in, activating the ability.

"Mmph... mm."

I dribbled saliva onto Cheong-ah's entwined tongue, coaxing her to swallow.

As I savored Cheong-ah's lips and tongue in a sweet kiss, the blue window popped up again. Go away. I know. It vanished instantly. I continued the kiss a bit longer before slowly pulling away.

"Darling... kissing me so suddenly makes me shy."

"Shy, my ass. You always start it."

"That's... true."

"Anyway, open your eyes."

"Huh? What do you—"

"I wanna see your eyes."

"Oh, you."

At my urging, Cheong-ah fluttered her eyelids open. Her jet-black pupils sparkled like obsidian. Overwhelmed by the vivid scenery filling her vision again, she covered her mouth with both hands.

"Wha—what? Darling, this is...?"

"Congrats on seeing again, Cheong-ah."