Chapter 57: Piole
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Piole
Piole, who had returned to the barracks first, had the spout of a waterskin to her lips and was gulping down wine. She looked ready to drink the entire expensive bottle of wine, the kind supplied to the royal family, all by herself.
“Piole.”
Piole ignored my call. Instead, she scurried to a corner of the barracks and squeezed the waterskin even harder. When I stared at her with a dumbfounded look, she grinned.
Her face was already flushed red, as if she were drunk. Well, it was Melbourne wine, famous for its high alcohol content.
Piole shook the now much lighter waterskin and said.
“If you want any of this wine, you'd better spill your secret!”
“What are you talking about, out of the blue?”
“Your strength! I'm talking about your strength!”
Now that we had some downtime in our schedule, Piole, who had witnessed my changed strength during the last battle, was trying to get some answers.
“I used to be stronger than you.”
It was a power whose source I couldn't explain. Besides, a sudden, drastic increase in strength could become a problem.
“But you've gotten so much stronger! In the short time I wasn't looking! You... you didn't do anything weird, did you?”
“Weird?”
As I stared straight at her, Piole was the one to avert her gaze, muttering.
“You know... that kind of thing. Like magic.”
Magic didn't exist. But I was the only one who knew that. Many people still believed in it, and any unexplainable phenomenon was attributed to the will of the gods or to magic.
That's not to say using magic would get you tortured and burned at the stake, like during the witch hunts of the early modern era. Witches and sorcerers were tacitly accepted as part of society.
Of course, they were still shunned all the same. In any era, people tend to ostracize those who are different from them, don't they?
“The heroes of legend gain their strength through the grace of the gods.”
“You think He would favor a scoundrel like you?”
Piole looked incredulous. I couldn't deny it. If there was a god, he'd probably throw me straight into hell.
“If it were magic, would that be a problem?”
“Are you serious? It wouldn't matter while you're doing well, but the moment you slip up, they'll use it as a pretext to attack you. Don't forget that no human is without fault.”
Piole was genuinely worried about me. However, the way she looked at me, as if I were her clueless little brother, was deeply unpleasant.
As I approached, she raised the hand holding the waterskin high so I couldn't take it. But my objective lay elsewhere entirely.
Thanks to Piole occupying one of her own hands, it was easy for me to embrace her. I wrapped my arm around her waist and closed the distance until we could feel each other's breath.
Her face, flushed from the wine, was captivating. Her pupils were trembling like an earthquake.
“Wh-what is it?”
Piole tried to push my chest with her free hand to get away. But there was little strength behind it. She was just going through the motions.
When I grinned, Piole subtly averted her gaze.
“You just have to help me.”
“H-help with what?”
“If you, who've known me since we were children, testify that I've had monstrous strength from the beginning, no one will doubt it.”
Maxis, the man I killed, was famous for his family's hereditary strength. So no one made an issue of it.
My father was also a renowned knight with great strength, so if Piole testified for me, it would be a sufficient explanation.
After pondering for a moment, Piole grinned.
“If you tell me how you got your strength, I suppose I could help.”
“What would you do with that knowledge?”
“If I could just overcome the physical weakness of being a woman, I'd be one step closer to my dream. It wouldn't be a bad deal for you, either. I'm not some beast who doesn't know how to repay a favor.”
Piole stared at my lips with eyes full of expectation. Gulp. She even swallowed. I shook my head.
“Unfortunately, I can't tell you. Because I don't know myself. One day, I just woke up and my strength had suddenly increased.”
“Lies! You expect me to believe that?”
The disappointment on Piole's face was palpable. She didn't believe me, nor did she try to. Looking as if she felt betrayed, she spun around and turned her back on me.
It was a cute reaction, so unlike her. If she hadn't been drunk, she probably would have tried to beat the answer out of me.
I hugged Piole from behind. She flinched but didn't try to break free from my embrace. I buried my face in the nape of her neck and whispered.
“Piole. Why would I lie to prevent something of mine from becoming more valuable?”
In that instant, the fine hairs on the nape of Piole's neck stood on end.
“Wh-why am I yours?!”
“From the moment I first saw you, you were destined to be mine.”
“W-w-w-wait!! What does that mean!?”
Only then did Piole turn to face me. Realizing how close we were, she avoided my eyes and tried to push against my chest to create some distance.
Of course, I didn't allow it. Instead, I tightened my grip on her waist, pressing our bodies flush together. My heavy, swollen groin pressed against her lower abdomen.
Gulp.
As if she felt the heavy pressure against her lower belly, her eyes stealthily drifted downward. Soon, a sound as loud as thunder echoed from her throat.
I gently lifted her chin, making her look at me again. Her wandering, aimless eyes were cute.
“Well, I want to keep you by my side always, to be with you in good times and in sad. I want to wake up to your smile along with the warm sunlight.”
The blush on her cheeks spread across her entire face and down to her neck. She pouted her lips and grumbled.
“Y-you player! Who do you think you're fooling! You just like any woman you can get!”
“So, you don't like it?”
Piole just bit her lip slightly, giving no answer. She didn't try to escape my embrace either. She merely showed her displeasure with a sulky face.
She wanted to be the only one for me. It was a wish I couldn't grant.
“If you don't want this, I'll back off.”
“Wh-who said I don't want it? I just…”
Piole said urgently. Then, realizing how quickly she had responded, she trailed off.
I chuckled, and she punched my chest. She meant it as a playful tantrum, but with her trained body, it hurt like hell. I didn't let it show and whispered.
“Don't worry. Even if you're not the only one, I will love you.”
“…Player.”
Piole glared at me with sharp eyes. But those sharp eyes widened into circles the moment I stole her lips.
“Mmph…!”
My tongue pushed past her lips. Her teeth were clenched tight, not leaving even a needle's gap. I knocked, but the castle gates wouldn't open. Her whole body was rigid.
I gently bit her lower lip and pulled. It stretched out before snapping back into place.
Startled, Piole defended herself by rolling her lower lip into her mouth. I let out a small laugh.
“How long can you keep the gates locked?”
“Wh…”
Before Piole could speak, this time I licked her upper lip, then sucked on it, making a lewd sound. Flustered, Piole pushed her upper lip into her mouth as well and closed it.
But thanks to her rolled-in lips, her clenched teeth had parted. I didn't miss the opening and pushed my tongue inside.
“Don't bite.”
I didn't forget to warn her first.
“Mmph…!”
Having allowed my invasion, Piole didn't know what to do. Her tongue fled, trying not to touch mine. But in the limited space of her mouth, there was nowhere to run.
I pursued her relentlessly and finally caught its tail. Soon, our tongues tangled together, making sticky, sensual sounds. Piole's eyes glazed over.
Not missing the chance, I slipped my hand inside her armor. Elastic, firm skin greeted me. The sensual body of a trained woman naturally formed in my mind.
“W-wait…!”
It was then. This wasn't our first time being physical, but Piole jumped in surprise and pulled away from me.
The mood seemed good, but it looked like it wasn't enough to conquer her. Perhaps it was because of her upbringing.
Unlike the other women I'd been with, Piole was a young lady who had received a proper education from her family. Of course, I wasn't one to give up just like that.
I advanced as much as she retreated. Startled, she backed away again until her back hit the wall of the barracks.
Piole let out a ragged breath, watching my expression. Seeing that, it seemed she wasn't entirely against it, yet she strangely rejected me.
“Piole. I want you. I want to make you mine.”
As I reached out again, Piole squeezed her eyes shut and pushed me away.
“W-wait… I… I smell…!”
We were in the middle of a war. Moreover, we had been rushing to plunder before the enemy could gather more troops. There was no time to wash properly. That was the reason she had refused me.
“I don't mind.”
“B-but I mind! A-after I wash up first…”
“After you wash up…?”
“Augh…”
Piole hung her head low. I obediently stepped aside. Her reaction was amusing, but if I teased her any more, another punch might fly. It wasn't a joke; that last one really hurt.
“I-I'll be right back…”
With her head still down, Piole fled the barracks. I picked up the wine and followed her.
“Wh-why are you following me?”
Piole yelped, pointing a finger at me.
“I need to wash up too.”
“Then go somewhere else…!”
“The enemy is right around the corner; it could be dangerous. There might be peeping toms. You're about to become mine, and if I, your owner, don't protect you, who will?”
“Wh-what are you talking about? Who said I was yours?”
Despite her words, Piole looked pleased. She was such a dishonest one.
I smiled and gazed at her, and with her face turning bright red, she resumed walking as if she had no choice.
Melbourne was situated on a tributary of the Rhine River, and since our camp was upstream, the water was clean. So clean that you could see the full moon's reflection perfectly. Thanks to that, we didn't need a torch.
Piole walked to a spot on the riverbank quite far from the camp, then glared at me, who had been following her the whole time.
“Really, how far are you going to follow me?”
“You won't be able to wash your own back.”
“A-are you shamelessly suggesting we wash together? Absolutely not!”
“I'm going to see it all soon anyway.”
Piole didn't deny it. Nor did she permit it. She just yelled with a flushed face.
“S-still, no!”
I shrugged as if to say I couldn't help it. Piole, not letting her guard down for a second, moved farther away. Of course, that wasn't going to make me give up.
From a distance, I heard the sounds of armor and clothes being removed, followed by the splashing of water. I moved toward the sound. Piole's armor and clothes were laid out on a large rock.
“Augh, I must be crazy. I'm crazy.”
A voice full of regret came from the nearby riverbank. Piole, submerged up to her knees in the shallow water, was muttering to herself as she splashed cold water on her body.
Befitting her tall frame of over 170cm, her legs were sleek and long, and her thick, toned thighs made it impossible to look away. And I don't even have a thigh fetish.
The defined abs above them must have been her only good feature in this world. However, the enormous breasts perched on top of them made everything else seem insignificant.
Her dynamic figure glowed bluish in the full moon's magical light. It was a beautiful sight, like a river fairy. After staring blankly for a long while, I came to my senses and entered the water.
The river was cold.
“This is all because of the alcohol. It was a drunken mistake. When I get back, I'll just pretend nothing happened. Yes, that's what I'll do.”
It seemed the cold river water had completely sobered her up. Unaware of my approach, she was trying to write off what happened in the barracks as a mistake and pretend it never happened.
That was unacceptable to me. If I backed down now, another chance to make the surprisingly well-guarded Piole mine wouldn't come for a long time.
Splash. Splash. Splash.
Only when the sound of splashing through the water grew closer did Piole notice my approach. Startled, she crossed her arms to cover her front and turned to look at me.
“Wh-what is it?! Why are you coming over here!?”
“Didn't I promise to wash your back?”
“I never made such a promise! W-wait. Stop coming closer! I said stop!”
A terrified Piole stumbled backward. The unfortunate thing was that she wasn't completely sober. She slipped and flailed, trying not to fall into the water.
“Grab on.”
I held out my hand to her. She reached out to me as well. But she didn't grab my hand—she grabbed my thigh.
In truth, it probably didn't matter to her what she grabbed. At least she didn't fall. The problem was the position she ended up in.
“Augh, I almost fell. Thank… huh?”
It was then that Piole, now in a kneeling position before me, let out a sigh of relief and lifted her head. A shadow fell across her face. A long, thick shadow.
Her eyes followed the shadow up to its owner, slowly widening until they were perfect circles.
Her pupils trembled as if in an earthquake. In the silence, where time seemed to have stopped, the sound of her swallowing echoed like thunder.
Gulp.