Chapter 247 The Hero's Worries
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 247
Chapter Title: The Hero's Worries
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Around noon.
Swordsman’s Guild.
The barbarian slung his axe over his shoulder.
"Where do you want to get your massage?! A corner of the Swordsman’s Guild is fine too!"
Cian thought hard about the barbarian's proposal and then refused.
"I don't want others to see."
The barbarian scratched his head and then turned around.
"Is that so? Follow me!"
Cian left the guild with the barbarian and walked straight south.
When they passed the market street and reached the end, an inn came into view.
Cian's eyes widened.
"This place is...?"
An old-fashioned building. It was in no way inferior to the expensive inns in the central area.
The barbarian shrugged.
"I live here!"
Cian narrowed her eyes.
'It looks very expensive.'
It was a little away from the area where the market and inns were clustered, so it had a quiet feel.
Even so, since the inn wasn’t far from the main road, transportation didn’t seem to be a problem.
Cian followed the barbarian into the inn.
The inn was warm, belying the cold winter weather.
The lighting wasn’t too bright or too dark, so it was just right, the hall was spacious, and the tables and chairs were also luxurious.
More than anything, she liked the comfortable atmosphere of the inn.
'I should have stayed here instead.'
Cian swallowed her small regret. She couldn't move her lodgings here because she had already settled in an inn in the central area.
"Follow me!"
Cian went up to the second floor with the barbarian.
Rooms were lined up on both sides of the hallway.
The barbarian stood in front of a door in the middle and grabbed the doorknob.
"This room should be fine!"
"I-Is it okay to just go in like this?"
The flustered Cian asked.
The barbarian grinned.
"I'm the acting owner!"
"The acting owner of this inn?"
"That's right! The owner is a high-ranking explorer, but he left the place to me for a while and went to his hometown!"
A faint longing passed through the barbarian's eyes.
Cian looked at him silently.
Why had she only thought of this man as a simple-minded warrior?
He must have been a person with feelings.
Her curiosity about him grew a little more.
Creeeeak.
The door opened, and when she went inside the room, she saw expensive-looking furniture.
The barbarian pointed to a chair.
"Sit."
Cian sat in the chair and showed him her back.
"Where is it tight?"
"The shoulder. My back is a little stiff too, but it's fine. I'd like you to just massage my shoulder today."
"You have to take off your armor."
"Alright."
Cian leaned her sword against the chair and took off her plate armor, placing it on the table.
The dry task, with no palpitation, was over.
Her lower body was still in plate armor, after all. And her upper body was in a thick medieval quilted armor called an arming doublet.
"Ready? I'm starting!"
The barbarian shouted loudly and placed his hands on Cian's shoulders.
Flinch.
Her shoulders stiffened.
She didn't show it, but she had become nervous from the fact that a man's thick hands had touched a part of her body.
"Relax!"
"Ah, alright."
Squeeze.
The man's fingers pressed through the thick arming doublet and into her tight shoulder muscles.
"Mmm."
Cian's forehead furrowed. Her stiffened muscles screamed.
"It's tight all over. Relax your body."
"Ah, alright."
Cian calmed her mind after a few deep breaths.
Squeeze.
Squeeze.
The pain grew worse as he pinpointed and pressed the tight spots.
Cian endured it. This level of pain was nothing.
A moment later.
Cian's furrowed eyebrows began to slowly relax.
How should she describe it?
As her muscles loosened, she felt a warming sensation. It was similar to the feeling of a sweet body scent entering her body.
However…
Compared to before, it was as weak as a grain of sand.
Cian closed her eyes and tried to sense the feeling.
Squeeze.
As the barbarian's thumb pressed down on Cian's trapezius muscle…
"Huuuuu."
A low sigh escaped from Cian's moist lips.
It had come out so unconsciously that even Cian, who had let out the sigh, was flustered.
"S-Sorry."
"Not at all! It's a good sign! You can just let out a long breath as if you're pushing out the bad energy! There's no need to hold it in!"
"I-Is that so?"
Cian was relieved to hear the voice from behind her. Because the barbarian's voice was as loud as ever.
The barbarian's two hands kneaded her shoulders and began to seriously loosen up her muscles.
Cian was a little dissatisfied.
'This is uncomfortable.'
Because of the thick arming doublet she was wearing, it was difficult to fully feel Skar's touch.
What if she took it off?
Cian shook her head and denied the thought that came to her mind.
Under the doublet was a tunic. The thought of their skin touching with only one layer of clothing in between was repulsive to her.
Even if Labyrinth City was free-spirited, she couldn't let herself be tainted by such a culture.
Still…
'This is nice.'
A gentle and polite touch. A hand that felt neither burdensomely courteous or hostile slowly loosened Cian's tight spots.
"I'll massage your back too!"
His fingers came down from Cian’s shoulders and pressed into her back.
"Ah, no, there's no need for that..."
Rustle.
She heard the faint sound of cloth coming undone.
Cian's body flinched and stiffened, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
Under the doublet and tunic…
The cloth that wrapped a part that was embarrassing to talk about had come a little loose. Probably because of the strong massage.
"S-Stop. That's enough now."
"Not yet! Just a little more!"
"Ah, no, that's not it."
The flustered Cian leaned forward to get away from the barbarian, but the man's hands held her shoulders like a rock.
"Take a deep breath!"
Cian's cheeks turned even redder.
"S-Skar!"
The problem was that she had just tied it with a cloth today because it was her day off and she didn't like the stuffiness.
Cian, unable to bear it, was about to raise her hand to push Skar away…
"Ah!"
Rustle.
Jiggle.
Cian's doublet bulged forward.
The outline of her heavy breasts was revealed, making the thick arming doublet seem insignificant.
Cian, her face bright red, covered the chest part of her doublet.
"..."
An awkward silence fell between the two.
The barbarian stepped back.
"S-Sorry."
"It's fine."
Cian replied in a calm voice. But her earlobes were as red as tomatoes.
"Skar? L-Let's stop here."
"I can't do that."
"What did you say?"
A firm reply from behind her. Cian slowly turned her head and met Skar's eyes.
The barbarian opened his mouth.
"If there's a coming, there must be a going, right?"
Cian's expression turned cold.
No way.
Was this Skar's true nature?
To humiliate people and exploit their weaknesses to extort money?
"Do you want a reward? How much do you want?"
The barbarian scratched his head and then turned his back.
"I'd like you to knead my shoulders too."
"..."
Cian was flustered.
"Shoulders?"
"Are you the only one who gets to loosen up your muscles? I was just sparring until a moment ago! This is unfair!"
Only then did Cian realize…
That was right. Skar had been in a fierce spar at the Swordsman’s Guild.
And she was the one who had come to him first and asked for help.
"Hoo. First, go outside and wait. I need to f-fix my clothes."
"No! Do it now!"
The Skar bastard demanded stubbornly.
Cian hesitated, unable to do either, and then let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo. Alright."
"Good!"
Skar took off his sweat-soaked tunic. Cian's eyes widened.
"Skar?! S-Suddenly taking off your clothes?! How outrageous!"
"It's because of the sweat!"
Skar, as if he didn't care about Cian's gaze at all, wiped his body with the tunic he had taken off and then threw it on the bed.
Skar's body scent lingered at the tip of her nose. It felt as if the room was filled with Skar's scent.
Cian endured the embarrassing feeling and stood behind Skar, who was sitting in the chair.
Because he had taken off his tunic, his broad back was exposed to her.
Gulp.
Cian swallowed dryly. She didn't know how she had ended up kneading Skar's bare skin.
To have to knead a man's shoulders when the cloth wrapping her chest had come undone.
If someone were to come into the room and see this scene, she was sure she would die of embarrassment.
Cian, who had been hesitating for a moment, slowly placed her hands on Skar's shoulders.
'It's hard.'
His muscles were as hard as stone from the fierce spar.
Cian put her strength into it and pressed down on Skar's shoulders.
"I-Is this right?"
"A little more strength!"
"Alright."
Cian put her strength into it and kneaded Skar's shoulders.
Skar sat in the chair without saying anything.
'This is strange.'
He had been sexually harassing her all this time.
So why was he so quiet now?
Cian kneaded Skar's shoulders with various thoughts. She couldn't do it with ordinary strength, so she naturally moved her body closer.
Then…
Thump.
Cian's heavy breasts ended up hitting Skar's back.
"..."
An awkward silence lingered between the two once again.
Cian immediately stopped moving.
To think that she had made such an absurd mistake.
'M-My breasts on a man's b-back...?'
Her head was spinning.
It was a situation where she couldn't figure out whether to apologize to Skar or get angry.
At that moment…
The barbarian, who had been sitting with his back to her, shouted loudly.
"Ah... Your baby would have a good life! Cian will be a good mother!"
"...?"
Cian stood blankly for a long time.
'My baby would have a good life? A good mother?'
"Ah."
She understood.
Cian's face immediately turned red.
"T-This guy!"
Cian clenched her fist and gently hit Skar's shoulder.
Thump, thump!!!
It was a transparently honest statement. If someone else had said such a thing, she would have taken it as a vulgar harassment, but her opponent was Skar.
Their first meeting had left her with such a strong impression that the comment didn't feel strange coming from him.
Still, it was true that she was embarrassed.
"H-Here! I can't do it anymore. Get out."
"Alright! Tidy up slowly and come out."
Skar got up and left the room.
Cian, left alone, collapsed into a chair and covered her face with her hands.
It was the first time she had been so close to a man.
Skar had left the room, but his body scent still filled it.
His firm touch still remained on her shoulders and back like a brand, warming her body.
"Haaaaa."
Cian unconsciously let out a sigh. It was a hot and alluring exhale.
Cian rubbed her face a few times and then slapped her cheeks.
As expected.
Could the chillingly cold pupils have just been her own misunderstanding?
It was possible that she had misjudged.
Since she had come to the heart of the Eastern Alliance, which was practically an enemy country, her nerves must have been on edge.
Cian shook her head and smiled.
She was actually relieved by Skar's sexual harassment. Although she had discovered an unexpected side of him, the person himself was no different from before.
"Of course. As expected, Skar was just Skar."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Jeong Yoo-shin came down to the first floor of the inn and sat down.
His heart was still pounding.
'Crazy, her breasts popped out there?'
During the massage, his heart had dropped when Cian's flat arming doublet had suddenly bulged.
Originally, he had planned to ask her various things while giving her a massage.
During the camping in the labyrinth…
Because he had made eye contact with the hero right after he had woken up…
He had been planning to subtly probe her to see if she had seen his disguise.
But because of the appearance of the large breasts, he had postponed all his plans.
His biggest worry was one thing.
'Will she even come again next time?'
It was a chance to gather information about the hero, so it was a bit of a pity.
Clank. Clank.
Cian came down the stairs with the sound of plate armor.
"Cian, have dinner before you go!"
Cian shook her head.
"My companions are waiting."
"Is that so? Alright."
Cian hesitated for a moment and then opened her mouth.
"I-I'll ask you again later! Thanks, Skar. Well then…"
"Uh...?"
Cian quickly stated her business and left the inn like the wind.
Jeong Yoo-shin stared blankly at Cian's retreating back and then scratched his head.
"She wants to do it again later?"
Cian, who had been walking quickly down the street, slowed her pace.
The massage was good. Although it was a very embarrassing situation, she had nothing to say since it had stemmed from her own mistake.
She would have to buy underwear instead of a cloth breast wrap so that this kind of accident wouldn't happen next time.
'Underwear.'
Cian blushed.
Come to think of it, it was an embarrassing thing.
To have to choose underwear while being conscious of a man.
'Calm down. T-This is just a massage.'
Cian walked down the street again while contemplating what kind of underwear to buy.
She hadn't realized it, but a faint blush had bloomed on her face.
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T/N - Hey guys! Sale time! Starting today until March 23 at 12pm GMT, all chapters will be 50% off. So what are you waiting for? Read on! (3/20/2026)
Damn, can cloth wraps really turn a big chested woman flat? It looks like it would be painful if they were pressed that deeply though.
Also, is the MC really clueless? It feels like he was doing everything on purpose. If it wasn’t for his POV, I would have thought that he was seducing the hero. 😅