After the Nightmare
My head throbbed. My vision blurred as if wrapped in a thick fog. Where… was I?
“Did you have a pleasant dream, Aria?”
It was a voice that made my skin crawl. A voice I never wanted to hear again. Yet the timbre, burned into my mind, clung to my chest like sticky sulfur and refused to let go.
“E-eh?”
“You fainted, so I gave you a little time to rest. The night is still long, after all.”
Where was Ashtain? Where had he gone?
Aria trembled as if she couldn’t believe what was happening.
“What… what is this?”
Bishop Ronin’s eyes curved into crescents. Eyes filled with pure malice.
“Your manner of speech requires correction, Saintess.”
Aria flinched and cried out in panic.
“C-correction is something I hate!”
“Then you should have chosen your words more carefully.”
Only then did she realize how cold her body felt. Of course. She was naked. Just as she always had been.
“I-I was wrong!”
“It’s fine. I don’t believe empty apologies anyway. Your body knows the truth far better than your mouth, doesn’t it?”
This wasn’t working. He wouldn’t listen. Aria tried to move, desperate to escape. Clank. Unfortunately, both her wrists and ankles were locked in iron shackles attached to heavy chains.
Bishop Ronin approached. The other bishops drew closer too. Their hands crawled over her like caterpillars, like cockroaches. She couldn’t get away. The realization tore a scream from her throat.
“No, no!”
Why did she have to face this again? Where was Ashtain? Please. Save me.
Ashtain. Save me. Please.
“Hah!”
Aria’s upper body jerked upright like a spring. Cold sweat poured from her forehead and splattered onto the bedsheets.
“……Ah.”
A dream. It had been a nightmare.
“Ashtain……”
She turned her head like a baby bird searching for its mother. There he was—Ashtain, sleeping soundly beside her.
“……Thank goodness. Really.”
Aria pulled the sleeping man into her arms. She burrowed into his chest as if trying to shake off the horrible memories. Thanks to his warmth, her heart quickly settled.
Once calm, the events of the previous night came flooding back.
Ashtain had answered her plea to be dyed completely in his color. His thick semen had covered her so thoroughly—from her hair to her breasts, belly, hips, and back—that it was hard to find a single spot he hadn’t marked. Should she call it heroic stamina befitting the Hero? Or perhaps say that his load was as impressive as the size of his cock?
‘Still… it felt good.’
Giving her body to the person she loved. Just that fact alone filled her with a deep sense of security and satisfaction. Maybe that was why she could shake off the nightmare so easily.
Aria sniffed at her wrists and hands.
“The smell of semen seems to have faded a bit.”
Ashtain’s seed had been so potent it nearly made her eyes cross. Because of that, she’d had to wash her cum-soaked body in the middle of the night.
‘Want to wash together?’
Worried she might hurt herself, Ashtain had suggested they bathe together. There was no reason for her to refuse. And of course, in the heat of the moment, they had ended up making love several more times. There was no point hiding it.
In fact, it had been Aria who seduced him first—swaying her hips teasingly and whispering, “Aria’s seed-receiving pussy wants more of Ashtain’s seed.” So it wasn’t entirely his fault; it was mutual.
They had mated like animals. That was probably why, after finishing their bath, they had fallen straight into bed without even bothering to put on clothes. In truth, both of them were still completely naked.
“Hehe.”
Just thinking about last night made the corners of her mouth twitch upward. The fact that Ashtain had wanted her so badly seemed incredibly sweet to Aria.
She rubbed her bruised bottom and her tingling groin, then rose from the bed. Her legs wobbled from the excessive sex, but she could still walk.
Glop, glop.
The semen Ashtain had pumped into her still lingered deep inside her belly. Thick strands of it leaked from her entrance and slid down her thighs.
“You really gave me so much……”
She didn’t mind. If anything, it was proof of how much he loved her. For a moment she wondered what it would be like to have Ashtain’s child, but she quickly shook her head.
“Having one now would only hold him back.”
He was the one destined to slay monsters and kill the Demon King. She could never forgive herself if her presence dulled his resolve.
Looking out the window, she saw the faint light of dawn. Morning was still a long way off. Without bothering to dress, Aria walked to the window. Because it was winter, frost had formed on the glass. When she touched it, an intense chill traveled up her fingertips.
“I was really excited yesterday, wasn’t I?”
She replayed her own words in her mind.
“Please dye this vulgar, filthy me with your color.”
“Don’t pull out. Cum inside me. Fill Aria’s seed-receiving pussy.”
“Aria’s pussy craves Ashtain’s semen.”
Aria let out a small laugh. The lines had been so shameless it was almost funny. Even prostitutes or AV actresses probably wouldn’t say things like that. Yet she felt neither shame nor embarrassment.
What was wrong with craving and expressing love? She had said far dirtier things before. She had even said them to people she didn’t like. Compared to that, whispering dirty talk to the person she loved was practically wholesome.
‘Because Ashtain told me it was okay to be like this.’
She had been smiling at the window for some time when Ashtain stirred and woke up. He blinked slowly, eyes still hazy with sleep, then opened them again.
“You’re up early?”
The question was directed at her. Aria turned only her head from the window to look at him. Ashtain thought the sight of her standing there was like a painting.
Aria gave him a faint, dreamy smile.
“You stayed up until I fell asleep, so it’s only fair that I wake up first.”
He swept his bangs back and frowned slightly.
“Only if you cling to me like that.”
Aria didn’t argue. She simply beamed. It was true that she had pestered him endlessly—begging him to hold her tight, to whisper that he loved her.
“Did you dislike it?”
“I liked it.”
“……Hehe, thank you.”
Ashtain asked with a lazy expression, “Want to eat?”
“Isn’t it too early?”
It was still dawn. Aria pointed toward the window. Ashtain rubbed his chin and gave her a mischievous look.
“Thanks to someone, I lost a lot of fluids. So I’m pretty hungry.”
It was a lewd joke, and Aria was not slow enough to miss it. She hung her head.
“Ugh, t-that was something you agreed to as well, Ashtain……”
“I’m joking.”
The Saintess glared at the Hero with narrowed eyes.
“Scary, our Saintess.”
“……Haa. Fine. By the way, this might be a bit sudden, but do you have a nickname, Ashtain?”
“A nickname?”
Aria smiled softly. “I want to call you something special. Is that okay?”
He accepted without hesitation. It felt a little awkward since no one had ever used a pet name for him, but it wasn’t difficult.
“Call me Ain.”
“Ain. That’s a nice nickname.”
Aria repeated the name several times, as if savoring it. She sounded happy. Delighted.
“Aria.”
When he called her name without thinking, her dark eyes turned toward him. Her gaze was filled with vast affection.
“Yes, Ain?”
She had an air about her that made it seem like she might vanish at any moment. If he let her go like this, wouldn’t she disappear like a mirage, like an illusion—just like his “sister” had?
The thought made Ashtain’s chest feel tight. So he said it.
“Don’t leave me.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t leave my side.”
Aria’s eyes widened dramatically. Then her face lit up with uncontainable happiness.
“Asht… Ain, do you really think I would leave you?”
“……”
“I’m disappointed. There’s no way I would. Especially after I’ve received so much of Ain’s seed.”
With a gentle expression, Aria rubbed the area below her navel. The coexistence of sanctity and lewdness was truly a new horizon.
“Lewd, Saintess.”
“I’m only lewd in front of you, Ain.”
That was exactly what made it unbearable. Without a word, Ashtain spread his arms. It was an invitation.
Aria walked from the window to the bed without the slightest hesitation and threw herself into his embrace.
“I really hated being tied down or restrained. It felt like I would forget who I was and what kind of person I was.”
Ashtain listened quietly to her words. There wasn’t much else he could do, and he didn’t want to interrupt anyway. When he slowly stroked her hair, she smiled as if she didn’t know what to do with her joy. Like a puppy.
Ashtain idly wondered, ‘Would she like it more if I scratched under her chin?’
Aria gave him a seductive smile.
“Did you know? Out of everyone I’ve ever met, you’re the one who binds and restrains me the most, Ain.”
“Sorry about that.”
At his grumbling, Aria smiled brightly.
“But I don’t mind. In fact, I want you to keep holding my leash. No—forever.”
“You’re not a pet.”
“It’s a metaphor. A metaphor.”
“It still feels unpleasant.”
Aria sighed.
“Can I tell you my story?”
“Go ahead.”
Ashtain adjusted his posture and listened carefully. She explained her situation in a calm, detached tone. The story went on for a long time. It was cruel, sadistic, and nearly erased her entire personality. When her long tale finally ended, she spoke again.
“It was horrible. I was raped every day. Gang-raped. I had to kill myself to fit the mold of what a Saintess should be.”
Ashtain gently stroked her back as she shuddered and clung to his shoulders.
“I see.”
“Does someone like me… not feel dirty to you? After taking so many men inside me?”
She looked small and withdrawn. Had her earlier composure all been an act? Ashtain gave her only one answer.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
It was exactly the kind of reply he would give. Aria felt a rush of love that shook her heart. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
Caught off guard, he touched the spot blankly while staring at the Saintess. Aria winked at him playfully. It was, in Ashtain’s opinion, incredibly awkward.
“Ehe, heh. Would you hate it if this vulgar, filthy me did something like that, Ain?”
“I was just surprised. I don’t hate it at all. And like I said yesterday, you’re……”
She cut him off as if she already knew what he would say.
“Not vulgar or filthy?”
“If you already know, stop tormenting yourself.”
“I just like hearing you say it.”
“I can say that much even if you don’t torment yourself.”
“Your lip service is excessive.”
“Lip… what?”
Aria giggled.
“There’s a word for that.”
It was a lively expression that contrasted with the clumsy, serious demeanor she had shown before. Ashtain found it adorable too, so he immediately stole her lips in a deep kiss.
She flailed her hands against his chest for a moment before obediently melting into him, their tongues intertwining. After a long while, their lips finally parted.
“Aren’t you… too good at that?”
He looked at Aria, who was panting. Her skin was smooth without a single wrinkle, her nose straight and elegant, her eyebrows delicate. And her eyelashes, he noticed, were surprisingly long.
“You’re beautiful no matter how many times I look at you.”
At those words, Aria’s pale face flushed pink. This man always made her feel embarrassed.
“…………Ughhh.”
She averted her gaze.
“Embarrassed?”
“Y-you can tell just by looking, can’t you?”
“Hmm. I don’t know about that.”
What a shameless man. Her heart was racing wildly. When she tried to look away, he deliberately followed her eyes. It wasn’t burdensome—it was just infuriatingly cute. Was there any way to change the subject?
Just then, she noticed white snow beginning to fall outside the window she had been looking through earlier.
“Ah, it’s snowing, Ain.”
“It is.”
The first snow of the season was falling. It was a pure white dawn.