Woof Woof? (3)
Woof Woof? (3)
On an ordinary day at Siyoram, the lodging facilities were so quiet you could practically hear the flies buzzing.
Which made sense—there were no guests to speak of in the first place.
Cadets and staff lived in the dormitories, and the people permanently stationed at Siyoram had their own homes. Outsiders almost never visited. Not having a single guest in a day was the norm—more like not a single one in a week.
'Looks like we're packed again today.'
William, who ran an inn at Siyoram, skimmed the hologram and nodded.
Rooms that normally saw nothing but flies were filled. And it wasn't just one or two people—over half the rooms were booked and occupied before dinnertime even rolled around.
By evening, the place would be swarming like yesterday. William shrugged, recalling the previous day's bustle.
'Around this time of year, we really do get busy...'
The reason was obvious: the Birth Festival. The one festival where the intensely closed-off Siyoram permitted a fair number of outside visitors.
Peak season, as they say. In truth, Siyoram's lodging facilities existed almost solely for occasions like this. That was probably why Siyoram poured support funds into them to keep them afloat even when there wasn't a single guest.
And so, every year around this time, inns that usually had nothing to do found themselves sweating through the bitter winter cold, weathering the wave of customers.
- Whirrrr...
"Welcome."
William straightened his posture and greeted the guest who pushed through the inn door.
He'd been griping about how busy, busy, busy it was, but honestly, it wasn't the kind of busy that tore a person limb from limb.
Wasn't technology advanced these days? Room reservations could be made remotely via smartwatch, and hologram kiosks handled check-in on their own.
Meals were mostly handled by familiars or magic rather than by people like William.
William only sat on the first floor for basic reception and in case something actually needed human attention.
'Hm?'
William, who'd greeted the guest without much thought, blinked. The—no, the guests—who'd walked through the door were rather unusual.
Long brown hair that fell past her waist, and a voluptuous figure that even loose, billowy clothing couldn't conceal. At a glance, she gave off the air of a beautiful woman with an endlessly warm, gentle presence.
That alone would've drawn men's and women's eyes, but the stronger reason for his gaze was the person she was carrying in her arms.
'What's this?'
Because of the way the figure was cradled, William couldn't see the face, yet his attention was somehow pulled. It was a strange sensation, like staring at a jewel wrapped in cloth.
"Yes, hello."
- Click-clack
The woman, having cursorily acknowledged William's greeting, hurried over to the hologram kiosk. Soon, she was supporting the person in her arms with one hand while deftly manipulating the hologram with the other.
[Check-in Complete]
She was done in an instant. The woman received the authentication key on her smartwatch and, without hesitation, went up the stairs. Only then did William get a glimpse of the face of the person cradled in her arms.
Eyes shut. Almost no movement—at a glance, seemingly sound asleep.
'Were they asleep? That would explain carrying them around like that. They look young too...'
That was the moment he thought it. The corners of the carried person's eyes faintly fluttered, perhaps jostled by the motion of climbing the stairs.
[Ueue...]
Then came an ailing sound and a squirm of the body. They appeared to have woken up. The woman climbing the stairs stopped walking.
"Shh, shh, we're here. Just a moment~"
[Gueeek...]
A low, gentle murmur, the kind used to soothe and coax a child. The woman's hand, which had been patting their back, gave the nape of their neck a light squeeze, and they went limp, drained of strength.
"Mmm-hmm."
Humming, the woman settled the child more securely against her, then climbed the rest of the stairs and vanished from view.
"......"
At the bizarre scene that had just played out, William blinked.
A voluptuous, mature beauty, cradling a youngster who looked comparatively young and utterly limp in her arms, booking a room at this early hour and disappearing into it...
"...What should I have for dinner."
William resolutely cut off the thought that wanted to follow and shifted his gaze to the news article floating on the hologram.
He was an ordinary person who hadn't awakened.
But, living in close quarters with the superhumans who resided at Siyoram, he'd come to know just how eccentric and unpredictable superhumans could be.
He'd also learned that because of that, all sorts of things happened in the world of superhumans.
And the best way to deal with it in these situations was just to not think about it and move on.
Incidentally, a good portion of the rare guests who occasionally passed through were cadets, mostly in pairs.
* * *
After seeing Adela off safely to her parents, Ellia immediately stopped at a nearby inn and secured a room.
Naturally, Lee Ha-yul was in her arms, and she hadn't bothered asking for his opinion. She'd taken his consent as a given.
"Honestly, I think this is Ha-yul's fault."
A small inn. But as a facility operating within Siyoram, it was by no means outdated. Rather, if it were operating outside, it would probably be rated as a rather high-end establishment.
"Showing me this side of you? That's practically Ha-yul half-intending it."
She removed her perception-obstruction magic tool and set it on the table. The magic that had shrouded her body lifted, and her brown hair shifted to gold.
Seating herself on the large bed, Ellia buried her nose in the crown of Lee Ha-yul's head, still in her arms.
A sweet honey scent that could scatter a person's reason. Ellia softly closed her eyes and savored the fragrance.
"Snnf... haaah... this is Ha-yul's fault for being so tempting."
[It tickles.]
[I think those are dangerous statements...]
"Ahaha, I guess it kind of is."
Ellia let out a small laugh. Even by her own estimation, her current appearance and the situation were... a lot, in several ways.
Shrugging, Ellia rubbed her nose against the white hair. Amid the silk-like texture, a fluffy, fuzzy sensation brushed the bridge of her nose.
"But this time, it really is Ha-yul's fault. Snf snf... haa, seducing me like this and everything..."
[Hic]
When she brought her nose a little closer, she felt the ear her breath touched flinch. At that curious reaction, Ellia opened her eyes.
Amid the white hair, she could see white dog ears twitching as well.
"What's this? A headband... doesn't seem like it?"
She touched the hair around them, but found no headband. When she cautiously rubbed an ear, the texture and warmth genuinely felt like the organ of a living creature.
[Um... I made them by mixing magic and my unique ability. You can think of them as similar to the horns from back then.]
"Ah. Right, you did do that back then."
Ellia nodded. There had been a similar incident back then, after all. Satisfied with the explanation, Ellia buried her nose in Lee Ha-yul's crown again.
This fragrant, sweet-sweet body scent was a bewitching fragrance one could simply never grow tired of. Who could possibly dislike a smell like this...
"Ehehe..."
On top of that, this easily embarrassed, shy little one had gone so far as to act this cute...
Furthermore, given Lee Ha-yul's reactions, this had to be the first time he'd tempted her like this. Just that alone left Ellia very, very satisfied.
It also happened to align perfectly with her tastes.
[...Are you over your anger?]
Just as Ellia was in the middle of enjoying the scent, Lee Ha-yul, who'd been lying obediently in her arms, stealthily tilted his head back and asked.
Lee Ha-yul's face peeked out from between her chest. Ellia wore a soft smile at the expression full of anxiety and hesitation.
"I wasn't angry from the start. I was just a little miffed and being sulky... Don't give me that 'so it's the same thing' look. I got over it a while back thanks to Ha-yul staying by my side and being adorable. And on top of that, you've tempted me this outrageously, so I haven't even had a chance to be angry."
At Ellia's giggling reply, Lee Ha-yul's face brightened. In that same moment, he let go of his earlier grudge against Adela.
His trust in that child had been lacking. Lee Ha-yul made a mental note to buy Adela a present later.
"Look at that face lighting up."
The sun-bright expression was exactly what Ellia had predicted earlier. Giggling, Ellia hugged Lee Ha-yul tighter and buried him in her embrace.
"Even so, would it be okay if I act a little unreasonable, just a bit more?"
[Unreasonable?]
At Ellia's words, spoken while she savored the feeling of him filling her arms, Lee Ha-yul cocked his head questioningly from within her embrace.
As he poked his head out from her chest again, Ellia beamed and gently swept his bangs upward.
"Ha-yul, the people you can see and speak to are limited, right? Is it three people now? Yeon-hwa, Professor Atra, and Professor Liana."
Ellia chose her words carefully to avoid any mishaps.
[Yes.]
Lee Ha-yul cautiously bobbed his head. He had caught Ariel's body scent in the Tower of Knowledge, but from what he'd heard, that had been a trick using the tower's powers and magic.
By the proper method, exactly three people had circumvented the curse.
"I have a guess, but I don't know the precise conditions, right? How about we properly test it this time?"
[Test it?]
When Lee Ha-yul asked back, Ellia silently shrugged and lowered her head.
- Mwah
[Hek]
Lee Ha-yul jolted in her arms. At the moist sensation on his forehead, he instinctively hugged Ellia tight.
"Now, open your eyes."
The hand that had been on his back moved lower and patted his behind. The gentle touch soothed his tense body, which relaxed and loosened. His tightly shut eyes cautiously opened.
"Hmm... not this time."
Ellia peered into Lee Ha-yul's eyes and murmured. Nothing was reflected in them, and Lee Ha-yul could not see.
"Then this time, it's Ha-yul's turn."
Ellia lifted Lee Ha-yul slightly in her arms. His height suddenly rose, and soft, gentle hair tickled his nose right in front of him.
[Uue...?]
He blinked a few times at the sudden development, but the hand rhythmically patting his behind and the coaxing, soothing tone made his lips instinctively pucker forward.
- Mwah...
No sensation of bare skin. Her soft hair blocked the way, and he didn't reach her forehead. He parted the hair with his lips and pressed them to her bare forehead again.
"Oh, well done... mm, same result even when Ha-yul does it."
Ellia lowered Lee Ha-yul again and praised him, then checked his blankly open eyes and nodded.
"Let's go through them one by one, just like this."
- Mwah
[Huek]
His body jolted without delay when lips touched his right cheek. And after Ellia checked the state of his eyes, she offered her own right cheek.
Lee Ha-yul blinked dazedly and pressed his lips to the offered cheek.
- Mwah?
The process repeated.
Ellia to Lee Ha-yul's left cheek, Lee Ha-yul to Ellia's left cheek.
The bridge of his nose, his chin, eyelids, eyebrows, earlobes, the crown of his head...
She blew a gentle puff of breath and watched Lee Ha-yul flinch; she brought her nose close and drank her fill of his body scent; she rubbed her lips against him and enjoyed the tiny trembling vibrations.
Above all, she pressed her lips everywhere on his head that her mouth could reach.
[Uwaaa...]
Mwah-mwah-mwah—as the kisses continued in various spots, Lee Ha-yul's body, overexposed to displays of affection, melted down.
After lightly kissing the corner of his mouth, Ellia tilted back Lee Ha-yul's head as he lay listless in her arms.
"Oh my..."
Though his eyes hadn't regained their light, he had indeed melted down to a sticky, gooey puddle.
His whole face had melted into bliss as sweet as honey. In particular, his slightly parted, "heh—" mouth was hooking itself right into Ellia's darker, more prurient desires.
Ellia was briefly lost in the test, but with enduring patience, she held herself back.
Originally, Hong Yeon-hwa had issued that last-day warning, so from then on, Ellia should be free to stake her claim as well.
"Now, there's just the last one left, isn't there?"
Ellia smiled brightly and moved her hand. Instead of the patting from before, she squeezed firmly, filling her palm completely.
- Huek...!
Strength rushed into his limp body. The body that had been leaning powerlessly against her shot rigidly upright, and Ellia lowered her head as if it were the most natural thing.
- Bwoo
"Mmmphhh..."
The sound of moans that leaked between their joined lips changed. Ellia's eyes curved into crescents.
"Hah, it worked."
Light seeped back into Lee Ha-yul's previously dull eyes. Her face was thickly engraved on those melted, gray-colored irises.
A sense of fulfillment washed over her, as if she'd firmly stamped her footprint into a field of immaculately piled snow.
"Seriously, you're not even a fairy-tale princess, but you really do break with a kiss. Amazing."
Giggling, Ellia licked her lips with her tongue.
Then she checked the fake(?) ears still perked up on Lee Ha-yul's head, and the clock hanging on the wall.
There was a little time left until dinner.
Having confirmed that, Ellia tenderly stroked Lee Ha-yul's forehead with a suggestive gesture.
"Ha-yul. Seeing this got me thinking. Could you show me those horns again, the ones you showed me back then?"
"Uh, a-uh... n, no..."
[No...]
Lee Ha-yul blinked and resisted. Ellia's smile only deepened.
Mana Affinity Expansion Ability
Homogenization - Unicorn
- Crunch!
But Lee Ha-yul's reason had already been melted down long ago by the chain of kisses.
.
.
.
"Nnng, nooo... keep hugging me... hnn, smooch..."
"Yes! I like boo-boos 'cause they're big! Fluffy and warm, and I like how you smell... ehehe..."
"They're super big. Why doesn't any milk come out... really weird... I wanna drink... nnng, I'll wait..."
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Ellia Srade
●●●●●●●●○○(87/100)
｢Fondness｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Dairy Cow?｣ ｢Chick｣ ｢Kindness｣ ｢Perceptive｣
▼Dramatic Change▼
Lee Ha-yul → Ellia Srade
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡♡(87▷89/100)
｢Affection｣ ｢Possessiveness｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Dairy Cow?｣ ｢Chick｣ ｢Kindness｣
...
[Conditions for releasing the ｢Curse of Silence｣ are partially satisfied]
[The ｢Curse of Silence｣ is weakened (Conditional: Ellia Srade)]
[Conditions for releasing the ｢Curse of Solitude｣ are partially satisfied]
[The ｢Curse of Solitude｣ is weakened (Conditional: Ellia Srade)]
...
[Player Correction System: Pioneering Progress]
[Sub-quest ｢Ellia Srade｣ Achieved]
[Accumulating large amount of Points]